Beyond the Portal
by SkyeHendersen
Summary: In 1982 twin brothers Stanford and Stanley Pines got into a fight and caused Stanford to get sucked into a portal to an unknown dimension. Now Stanley has to try to get him back while Stanford has to fight to survive until he can get home.
1. Through the Portal

**Chapter 1: Through the Portal**

"Stanley! Stanley, help me!"

A man with a brown trench coat holding a maroon colored book was levitating in the air, going towards a large upside down triangular machine, the center glowing a bright blue. Electricity crackled and sparks flew. The man's brown hair was wildly blowing from the wind around him, his brown eyes wide with fear and panic behind his glasses.

"Oh, no, what do I do!?" screamed a second man, known as Stanley down below, him with his hands to his head. A knitted cap sat on his brown haired mullet, his own brown eyes wide with fear and panic.

"Stanley! Stanley! Do something! STANLEY!" the man that was levitating threw the book through the air, it showing an emblem of a golden six-fingered hand with the number one written in black on it as it spun in the air. The book lands in Stanley hands. The man in the trench coat goes through the portal, a sudden bright white light fills the room.

The room shakes violently as the electricity cracks around the room. Stanley now holding the book puts his hands up with the book to shield himself from the light as much as possible as he was thrown backwards from some gravitational force. He grunts as he lands on his side on the hard ground, the machine starting to die down from its activation.

As the light subsides, Stanley hisses in pain, putting a free hand to right shoulder place. A fresh burn mark or a strange symbol stings and pulsates with a throbbing pain. "Stanford?" he calls out as he slowly gets up. A pair of glasses was on the floor in front of the portal. Stanley's eyes widened as he runs up to the portal. "Stanford, come back! I-I DIDN'T MEAN IT!" he begins pounding the side of the machine, desperate to get Stanford back.

The portal hums off, it finally done with what it was designed to do.

Stanley runs to the lever that started the whole ordeal, him moving it back and forth to try to turn on the portal. The machine stayed silent, not even a spark flew. "I just got him back! I can't lose him again!" He tries to move the lever again, but the machine still did nothing. "Ah, come on! STANFORD!" his voice echoes inside the portal, his distressed voice bouncing back at him.

* * *

Stanford flew backwards and his back slams into some snowy ground. He gasps in pain as he blinks open his eyes, his vision blurry.

He realizes he no longer had his glasses, so his hand reaches into his inside coat pocket. He pulls out his spare pair of glasses, the left lens a tiny crack in the corner. Stanford frowns as he puts them on, his vision restoring. Slowly he stands up, putting a six-fingered hand to his head, looking around his new surroundings.

The ground beneath him glisten white from snow, the temperature was icy against his skin, so he pulls his trench coat closer around him. The sky above him was a mix of various colors, many shades of blues and purples with specks of pink and green; it was like an eternal sunset above him.

"Stanley…?" Stanford calls out, him shuffling through the deep snow. Snow falls from the multi-colored sky, slowly getting heavier and heavier. "Anyone…?" he shivers from the cold. He moves through the snow and eventually finding a small cave and he burrows himself in his trench coat to try to keep warm.

How did things end up like this…?

 _I fought with Stanley…_

The recent events buzz through his head. How Stanley came to Gravity Falls, Oregon because Stanford asked him too. The two fought on what had happened ten years ago, from when Stanley destroyed his chance at an amazing future at a good school. It was the first time Stanford actually had gotten into such an intense physical fight with his brother, his _twin_ brother.

When Stanley had went to burn the journal, something in Stanford had snapped and they quarreled. He had pushed Stanley into the side of his desk and burned his twin, the emblem searing his clothes and a deep red burn branded into his skin. Then when Stanley pushed him back, that was when Stanford got caught in the pull of the portal.

"Stanley…" he whispers as puts his face underneath the collar of the coat, trying to keep his face warm. He would never forget the look on his brother's face, him terrified at what was going on. "I'm sorry… but don't try to open it again… it's too dangerous…"

The portal never should have been built in the first place. A few years after Stanford had begun studying the strange anomalies that were occurring he had met a strange demon that called himself Bill Cipher. Bill tricked Stanford, using his intelligence to build a portal to a different dimension.

Bill's dimension.

"I'm such an idiot…!" Stanford screamed, raising a freezing six-fingered hand. "I was used… and now I'm trapped here in a different dimension!" He moves his numbing fingers into a fist. "If I can stop Bill here… in _this_ dimension… my dimension would be safe…"

As the snow fell and the wind began to howl loudly, Stanford tried to find some sort of kindling to put together for a small fire. There was barely any, only making a tiny anthill size in front of him. He searches his pockets for any matches or a lighter, and his fingers curled around a tiny metal object. He takes it out, seeing the small, silver lighter, the one that Stanley was about to use to burn his journal.

 _How did that get in my pocket?_

He tried to recall the fight. Did he grab it and just out of habit put it his pocket? Whatever the reason was, he was grateful that he had the thing. He finds a tiny bit of scrap paper that was also in his pockets and sets it aflame. Carefully, so he didn't burn himself or extinguish the pathetic flame, he sets it in the small amount of kindling.

Soon a small fire glowed in front of him, his shadow dancing on the walls. He puts his freezing hands to the fire, trying to warm himself.

He looks outside to the falling snow, thinking on how he was going to survive Beyond the Portal.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Hello everyone, I'm back again with a new story! This won't be updated as much as the last one though... I'm writing short stories too for "Cipher's Reign" as well, so every day is going to have at least one or the other posted.

This was actually the first story I thought of while thinking about a "Gravity Falls" fanfiction, but I decided with "Cipher's Reign" first as it was a lot easier to come up with a main plot than this one, so "Beyond the Portal" is going to be a bit of a challenge!

Enjoy! And thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	2. One's Enemy

**Chapter 2: One's Enemy**

Stanley yelps as a stray spark stings his hand, him shaking it and putting it in his mouth to numb the small amount of pain that radiated.

His hands were greasy and black, both holding some sort of tool in his hand. Next to him was an open book, a page opened to something that looked like the corner of the portal sketched onto the slowly yellowing page. Strange symbols and seemingly random letters were written down, but it seemed like no matter how many times he read the book, or journal he seemed to figure, he couldn't decipher it.

"Damn it!" he screams as when he tried to pull the lever again, but nothing happened. "Why is this so damn hard!?" he shouts as he kicks the side of the portal, causing him to curse as pain radiates through his foot. "Give me my brother back!"

His voice echoes within the dark machine. His brown eyes were wide, his white undershirt a filthy mess from all the work he was putting in. Angry, he picks up one of the tools and throws it at the portal, a metallic clang echoing throughout the room.

As he starts to walk away he grabs the journal and slams it shut. He absently rubs his shoulder, it still stinging from pain. The lights were dim as he walked through the small control room, some lights flashing. He goes to the rickety and tiny elevator, pressing a button to go up, and once he was up he goes to the room where his brother had slept and sat on the couch that only had a thin gray blanket on it with a small pillow.

It had three nights since Stanford Pines went through the portal. It had been three nights since Stanley Pines spent all his daily energy to try and fix the portal to bring his brother back. It had been three nights since Stanley had more than a few hours of sleep.

As he sits on the couch he went and read through the journal again for what it seemed like the millionth time. The journal contained many pages on various odd creatures that were occurred here in Gravity Falls, Oregon. The last huge chunk of the journal contained information on the portal, a failsafe in case it was activated and it needed to be aborted, and there were so many odd symbols and words that he couldn't understand.

 _How did Stanford discover all this stuff?_

He flips through the pages, seeing all the drawings and strange writings from Stanford's studies. There were random side notes as well, some saying that it was dangerous to stay away, or how they some abilities that could leave you poisoned or have amnesia, or worse things. Some things were scribbled out in thick black or red pen, some things were written over it then scribbled again.

Stanley then lays down on the couch, shutting the book and putting it next to him. For some odd reason with that book, knowing it was Stanford's, made him slightly feel better like he was actually there. But, it couldn't truly replace him.

As kids they shared a room while their older brother Sherman, or Shermy for short, had his own room. The twins had bunk beds, Stanford being on the top bunk and Stanley being on the bottom, the walls next to their sleeping space decorated with things that they liked. At night while the twins should be asleep they always talked until they fell asleep, finding comfort in each other's voices to lull them into their slumbers. Even as teenagers, despite them getting older, they still had found comfort in each other, even after the bunk beds were taken down and they were growing up.

For ten years Stanley hadn't been truly comfortable sleeping, finding himself missing the many conversations that he and his twin had had over the years. He knew they were getting older and eventually it would happen, but it felt like it was too soon.

Stanley closes his eyes, seeing nothing but the blue light of the portal and Stanford's terrified face. He gasps as his eyes open wide, them bloodshot from lack of sleep. Without trying to go back to sleep he gets up and goes into the decently sized kitchen in the house, opening the fridge to see very little food items. His stomach growls.

He then searches the cabinets, seeing if there was anything. All he found was various dishes, coffee mugs, coffee cans, and…

"Hello, what's this?" Stanley asks himself as his hands curl around a clear brown glass bottle. He read the tag, seeing that it was whisky. "Well, well, well, Stanford… I didn't know you actually drank…" He then notices that some was missing from it, a few shots being taken from it. "You wouldn't mind if I had some… or all of it, right?" he then asks, not expecting a reply. He pops open the cap of the whisky bottle and starts drinking straight from it, some dribbling from the corner of his mouth. He then finds a few other bottles around in the cabinets, some were vodka and some were more types of whisky, all that had only a few shots taken from them.

He then begins to drink the vodka from the bottle as well, a hard taste that was burning his throat. Soon his head starts spinning, or was it the room? He stumbles, trying to find his balance as he grabbed the second bottle of whisky, actually managing to pour some into glass and proceeding to drink it straight. His vision was starting to black out.

He didn't care as he slumped at the kitchen table and fell asleep, dropping the glass as it rolled away.

* * *

Stanford blinks open his eyes, still huddled in his trench coat in the small cave he set himself in.

The fire had long gone out, not even a tiny ember remained. The air around him was cold, him seeing his breath, and despite being in his trench coat his body still shivered violently. He glances outside, seeing that it wasn't snowing as heavily. Slowly, he gets up, putting on his trench coat fully as he slowly stumbles out of the cave and into the snow.

He marches through, the snow deep as it reached just below his knees. Despite him being freezing and hungry, he kept going on, determined to find any source of life. A glow in the distance beckons him, looking bright and lively. Could it be a society of some kind? With a small smile on his face he pushes himself to go faster, to get to the source of the light as fast as he could.

Stanford makes it to what seemed like a small city, with tall buildings and lights flashing around. He bumps into something that resembled a giant insect, causing him to jump back in surprise. As the giant insect walks away, making various sounds that sounded like it was annoyed, Stanford looks around him, seeing all of the creatures that walked around.

"Where… the hell am I?" he asks aloud. He then gets into an alleyway, a hand to his chest. He really _was_ in another dimension, for the first time it truly clicked with him. "That… machine _actually worked…_ " Stanford couldn't decide if he wanted to be happy it worked or terrified. "If it worked… that means-"

Something overhead crackles in a static, almost like a P.A. A weird string of odd words that Stanford didn't recognize was being said over the P.A., some of this strange world's inhabitants grumbling among themselves. The P.A. then cackles a sudden laugh, a high pitch that Stanford knew all too well.

 _"_ _Hello all!"_ The high, shrill voice calls out. The inhabitants look up, fully paying attention. _"So… I have been informed that there was a disturbance in this dimension…"_

"Oh… oh, no…" Stanford mutters to himself as he backs into a wall of the strange alleyway.

 _"_ _And it's a disturbance from that meat bag filled dimension,"_ the shrill voice continues. _"I'm looking for a Stanford Filbrick Pines, since he had access to a portal."_ A sudden light creeps into the alleyway, no doubt a picture of him being shown.

"Shit…!" Stanford then tries to creep away, but he hits something that resembled glass and it crashed into the ground, shattering.

 _"_ _So… if you find this man… bring him to me, Bill Cipher,"_ a small pause. _"Dead or alive. I honestly don't care which, as long as I get that meat bag."_ The P.A. then turns off, but not after the shrill laughter that continued to echo in Stanford's ears.

Some strange mumbling is heard towards where Stanford had entered. Shadows from the light bouncing on the walls, seeing the strange creatures. They knew he ran in there…

"Oh, oh shit, shit, _shit!_ " Stanford cries out as a few of those insect looking creatures began appearing, pointing at him and speaking in their odd tongue. He begins running, his trench coat flying behind him, his brown shoes splashing in puddles that resembled water, his brown hair being blown wildly from the wind of his running. He runs to the other side of the alleyway and bursts out into the crowded streets.

A creature points at him as another made its way towards him. Without thinking he started running down the crowded street, him dodging the inhabitants and jumping over various obstacles. His parkour was decent from the years running around Gravity Falls, but this was pushing his limits.

As he runs next to a building, he was suddenly whisked inside, a hand – a _human_ hand – covering his mouth, his scream of surprise muffled. He looks from the corner of his eye and sees a woman about his age, with jet black hair and piercing electric blue eyes, a splash of freckles going from under eyes and over the bridge of her nose. Her skin looked extremely pale, as if she hasn't been in the sun for years.

"You need to be quiet!" the woman hisses quietly at him, slowly backing up and dragging him with her, shutting the door with her foot. Once they were deeper into the building she releases him and he springs away from, his hands up in fists, like he was about to box, facing towards her. "That's how you thank someone that just saved your ass, _Stanford Pines?_ " the woman says to him, exasperated. The woman wore a long black coat, a torn blue scarf around her neck, her pants black and dirty, and she wore knee high flat boots that were muddy.

"Ford…" he replies slowly, looking at her with narrow brown eyes. "You can just call me Ford, Miss…?"

"Layla," the woman tells him. "Layla Bartek." She then holds out her hand. Ford hesitates, his hands still in fists. "Come on, you're being rude!" she snaps at him. Finally, he holds out his hand and grips her for the handshake. "Six fingers…?" he heard her ask, his heart dropping. "Wow… polydactyl, I've never met someone with that! That's pretty cool!" she then says, her voice high and giddy, kind of like a child.

Ford then removes his hand quickly, putting it and his other in the pockets of his trench coat. He looks away, him embarrassed.

Layla gives him an odd look. "Why are you hiding them?" she asks him, her voice sounding a bit sad.

"I… I don't like showing them." Ford states, his voice stuttering. "A lot of people… don't react the way you just did." If he could put his hands deeper into his trench coat he would've.

Layla held up her own hands, her left was missing her thumb and pinky finger, only having a small nub where those appendages would've been. When they shook hands she had used her right, so he didn't notice. She then puts her hand down, him looking at it still.

"I have symbrachydactyly, only on my left hand though." Layla explains. "You have polydactyl on both your hands… that's a double anomaly." She gives a smile, a sad and lonely smile. "So… I know what you mean about not wanting to show your hands."

Ford then takes out his hands out of his pockets and looks at them. Here he was, technically with two extra fingers, and this woman has two less… He clears his throat, now feeling awkward. He's never met anyone with his condition let alone someone with his opposite condition.

"Sorry," he then says. "I didn't mean to be rude then…" even though his hands were out of his pockets, he had put them behind his back out of years of habit.

"It's alright," she assures him. "But… I do have a question for you, Ford."

"Okay… what is it?"

"What does Bill Cipher have against you?"

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** The name "Bartek" is a type of Oak tree that is found in Poland.

Symbrachydactyly is a condition where limbs are usually missing from one arm or leg, commonly fingers and toes. Bones could be missing or the full limb altogether. In Layla's case she has a small nub that reaches to at least where the first knuckle would be and seems to have partial bones in them, although it has not been fully shown as of right now.

Thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	3. Survival

**Chapter 3: Survival**

Stanley wakes up the next morning with his head pounding, his face to the side with a puddle of drool that smelled heavily of alcohol underneath his cheek.

Groggily he lifts his head up from the table, him groaning from the sunlight that shown brightly in the window. He gets up and rummages through the fridge, all that was there was pitiful amounts of condiments and rotting food. It seemed Stanford didn't eat much…

Grumbling, Stanley grabs his pathetically thin winter coat, a newly sewn patch over where it had burned through, and puts it on. He pulls the hood over his brown hair and looks around to find the keys to the house. He finds them and stuffs it in his pocket as he walks out, locking the door behind him.

He decided not to drive his car, as it already had very little gas in it, and he needed whatever money he even had on him to buy some sort of food. Slowly he walks through the snow, the cold barely bothering him as he was used to it. The snow that fell gently fell from the sky reminded him of New Jersey and how he and Stanford would build snow forts by the beach and have snowball wars.

He finally makes it to the small town, him pulling his hood tighter around his head as people looked at him oddly. He looked around at the shops, seeing if anything resembled a grocery store but he saw nothing. Cold and hungry Stanley finally makes it to a small minimart, a small line in there already. Not particularly care what he wanted to get he grabs a small loaf of white bread and waits in line with the rest of the people.

Finally it was his turn and he sets the bread on the counter, the older woman ringing it up. "Just the bread, then, there stranger?" the woman asked. Stanley does a small nod. "That'll be ninety-nine cents."

Stanley goes into his much worn out coat and fiddles through his pockets. All he managed to pull out a packet of sugar, a paper clip, a bunch of lint, and a peso coin from his time in Columbia. He sighs as he was about to tell her to put it back and that he couldn't afford it when another woman calls out, "Hey, that's no stranger. That must be the mysterious guy that lives in the woods!"

People start to gather around Stanley, who pulled his hood up more over his head. "Uh, n-no, no. You've got the wrong guy." He tried to explain.

"I've heard strange stories about that old shack," an odd sounding man interjected.

A young African-American man with a mustache then says, "Yeah! Mysterious lights and spooky experiments."

An old man then stands next to the woman behind the counter. He must've been her husband and they ran the shop together. "Gosh, I'd pay anything to see what kind of shenanigans you get up to in there." The old man admitted.

The woman who said that he wasn't a stranger then asked, "Oh, me too! Do you ever give out tours?"

"No. Really I-" Stanley stammered as he looks at his hand. He sighs, maybe thinking this wasn't a bad idea. "Yes, I _do_ give tours!" he announces proudly, a smile on his face. "Ten… nah-no… fifteen bucks a person!"

The crowd begins to cheer and take out money when the same woman again asked, "Sir! What did you say your name was, you man of mystery?"

"Oh, uh, Stan…ford. Stanford Pines." Stanley lied, thinking he can't use his real name.

He had led them to the house that was his brother's in the woods. Even though he didn't know what over half of the stuff was he tried to play it off like he knew. Although there was an incident where the woman that asked a lot of questions, which he found out her name was Susan, where her eye got effected by one of the devices Stanley showed, people thought he was funny when he shows off a skeleton saying it was tourist that died on the last tour.

As the people left he had counted the money he collected from them He made over fifty dollars just for showing off weird things. After what he had seen with the portal and through Stanford's journal, he believes that the town of Gravity Falls is crazy, but not many people knew about what was happening in the woods around them.

Stanley gives a smirk, finally coming up with a plan. As a conman, this was going to be his biggest yet, and he had to play it out perfectly. He decided he would stay in Gravity Falls, Oregon, by day doing a business and by night try to fix the portal and bring his brother back. But he had to do a few things first…

He found leftover wood and paint around the house, no doubt from its construction, and starts making signs. The name he decided to call his little business was the "Murder Hut", so in big red letters he writes that with his terrible handwriting. He starts making signs and sawing parts of them off to make them look like arrows, each read "Step right up!" in black letters. Other signs red in capital red letters "NO REFUNDS". All around the woods he placed the signs, and whatever junk he found in the house he three together to make some sort of attraction.

After a week or two being there, he managed to get enough money to pay off the bills that was being sent to the house, him pretending to be Stanford. With the leftover money Stanley went and bought a beater car that looked very similar to his own, still putting it under the name Stanley Pines. He managed to scrape together something to resemble a body and puts it in the driver seat, not buckling it up. Stanley knew how to mess with cars, so he cuts the lines to the breaks, so the car couldn't stop. He starts up the car and puts it in neutral and he starts to push it down an abandoned road.

For an hour he pushed the car until he found a suitable cliff.

"Goodbye, Stanley Pines," he mutters to himself. "Not like you were good for anything anyway…" he then grunts as he pushes the car, watching it tumble down the cliff side, the windows shattering and the metal denting. Finally, it lands at the bottom, smashed to pieces. For good measure Stanley went back to the house, grabbed some gasoline and matches, and went back to the site of the crash, driving his car a certain way to make it look like he was drunk when he "crashed".

Slowly he climbs down the cliff, careful not to spill the gasoline he had. Once he was down he starts pouring the gasoline, covering most of the car and managing to get it on the fake body as well. Quickly he ignites and match and throws it onto the car, a flame bursting into life and starting to engulf the car at a much quicker pace than Stanley had expected.

"Shit!" he screams as he runs as fast as he could, taking the long way to climb the cliff to his car. Just as he made it to the top the car explodes beneath him, shaking the ground. He peeks over to see the flaming car, it slowly turning into a charcoal black. "I gotta get outta here…" he mumbles as he gets in his car and begins to drive away, but not before he threw his original license that bared his true name out the window and it lands on the edge of the cliff. Already sirens were being heard in the distance.

The next day there was a phone call, to which Stanley answered cautiously, "Hello?"

"Is this Stanford Pines?" a gruff sounding voice on the other line asked.

"Yes," Stanley answered automatically. "This is he speaking."

"Do you have time to come down to the station right now…?" the voice asked. "There was a car accident last night, a car went off the side of the cliff, most likely drunk. There was a license at the scene stating the name 'Stanley Pines'. Are you two related?"

"He… is my twin brother," Stanley lied flawlessly. "Why… do you think it was him?"

"We need you to come and identify the body, Mr. Pines." The gruff voice states and before Stanley could say anything else the phone was hung up on the other side.

"So far so good…" Stanley whispers as he puts on his coat. He goes to put on his dirty knitted hat when he realized he still had his long hair. They wouldn't believe that he was Stanford if he didn't look semi-presentable… He goes through the various drawers that were around the house and finds a pair of scissors. With a deep breath he starts cutting off a lot of his hair, the strands falling to the ground. It looked very choppy and disheveled, but he figured he'd go to the barber in town later or tomorrow to get it fixed to look a little neater.

Again he didn't drive his car, especially after he used a car that looked similar to his to crash it. It took him about fifteen minutes to get into town, him going straight to the police station. His heart pounded as he walked in, for the first time in his life him going into a police station willingly without being in handcuffs. The receptionist at the counter looked at him as he walked in.

"Uh, hello, my name is Stanford Pines," Stanley lied casually. "I had a call about-"

"Yes, we were expecting you." She replied with monotone. "Just step to the left and someone will come for you and ask you a few questions."

Stanley tried to not look nervous. "Alright…" he complies, going to where she told him to. Someone was there and lead him to a small room, a room he was familiar with actually.

"Have a seat, Mr. Pines." The man that led him told him, the man wearing a suit and tie. Stanley sits down, his hands starting to sweat. "On the phone you said Stanley Pines was your twin brother?"

"That's correct." Stanley confirms.

"Do you know why he was here in Oregon?" the suited man asked him.

"I have no clue…" Stanley answers. "Maybe he wanted to do a surprise visit. We hadn't spoken each other in a while."

The man then sighs, "Was your brother an alcoholic? The way the car was driven it looks as if he was drunk."

Stanley shrugs. "I've known him to have a few drinks, but a full out alcoholic I don't know."

The man then gets up and then gestures a hand for Stanley to get up. He then lead Stanley to a small morgue and opened a cabinet. The man pulls out a tray and removes the blanket, asking Stanley to identify it, which he complied saying it was "Stanley Pines". Papers were brought to Stanley and he fills them out, saying that he identified the body and that Stanley Pines was officially dead.

Stanley made it back to the house and he goes immediately into the kitchen and took a shot of the other whiskey he had found the other night. After he was satisfied he goes into the small storage room at the end of the house, it having a small twin bed he put in there and a desk. The other day after he made some money he went to the local thrift store and bought a few things of clothes, including a few dress shirts and ties, and he even found an old looking maroon fez.

On the ties he had sewn question marks into them with the little embroidery skill he had. He almost did it with the fez, but he decided against it. Stanley goes through Stanford's journal and found a page that had a wheel drawn, a triangle in the center with what looked like a top hat and one eye. Surrounding the triangle was various symbols, such as a pine tree, a shooting star, a llama…

"That's weird…" Stanley mutters as he noticed the six-fingered hand symbol, his heart suddenly aching as it reminded him of his brother. He then saw a symbol that looked like a crescent shape. "Huh… that looks neat…" and that was the design he sewed onto the fez, a pale gold in the center of it. He places it on his head, thinking that it oddly fit him very well. He looks in his standup mirror, him wearing a pale yellow dress shirt with a red tie with the yellow question marks, his fez proudly on his head.

As of that moment, he was officially no longer Stanley Pines, but going by the identity of Stanford Pines.

He then goes to a fairly large room that he had started to transform into a show room, it already having various "attractions" that he made up. He goes around to adjust a few things to make sure everything was straight and alright. A sound from outside makes him go to the window, a few cars that were traveling through town noticing his signs.

The man then opens the door and greets, "Welcome to the Murder Hut! My name is Stan Pines, but you can call me Mr. Mystery!"

* * *

"Pardon me?"

Ford was shocked that Layla knew who Bill Cipher was. He gives her a confused look, trying to play it off that he really didn't know.

"Don't play dumb, Ford." Layla groans. "Obviously Cipher wants you for something, and you were running. So, why does he want you?"

Ford sighs, "When I was studying in Gravity Falls, Oregon, I met him. He tricked me into building this portal that is a hole in our dimension. It was a way so he could get a physical form on Earth."

Layla's eyes widened. "You're from Gravity Falls?" she asks him in awe.

"What?" Ford cried out, surprised she knew about it. "Um… actually I'm from Glass Shard Beach, New Jersey…"

"But you've lived in Gravity Falls!" Layla cries out. "So, you've seen the gnomes… the unicorns… all those strange things!"

"I'm a scientist that studies anomalies…" Ford explains, him looking at the woman oddly. "Are… are _you_ from Gravity Falls?" he asks her, now curious.

She nods enthusiastically. "Yes, my dad and I lived there." She tells Ford. "My dad was a doctor… he was trying to do stem cell research, he wanted to help people like me or amputees get limbs back… he studied around the oddities, seeing if their cells could help with his research."

Ford then narrows his eyes. "Wait a minute… a doctor on stem cell research… Bartek…" he then looks at her, his brown eyes widening. "You're the daughter of Dr. Bartholomew Bartek…? The insane doctor that kidnapped homeless people, cut off their limbs and tried to grow them back? One of the most unethical doctors from the late sixties?"

Layla flinches, wrapping her arms around herself. Slowly, she nods, her face looking like it got paler. She then walks to the edge of the room, peeking between some boards to see outside. After a moment she walks back to Ford.

"Yes… he did do all of that…" Layla whispers. "But… you don't understand-"

"Kidnapping people, even people that had no homes, and chopping off body parts for human experimentation is unethical and evil." Ford stated, his voice hard. His thoughts then went to Stanley, what if at the age of seventeen when he was kicked out of their home had been taken and experimented on…?

Layla's eyes narrow angrily. "Like I said, you _don't_ understand! He just wanted to _help me!_ " she holds up her left hand again, slightly moving the nubs where he thumb and pinky would've been. "You know better than any other person what it's like to be made fun of for your anomaly! My mother actually left us because of me, because she thought it was my father's genetics that caused it, saying I was imperfect!

"You should know better than anyone what it was like to be an outcast and have no friends! What right do you have to judge my father, who _wanted to help his only daughter_!?" she screamed the last words, tears spilling from her eyes.

Of all the things Ford's family was, they never judged him for having his six-fingered hands. His mother loved him the same, his father was indifferent, and Stanley… Stanley was his best friend, always defending him, making sure he would fit in. His twin was his anchor to the world… Ford had a supportive family for the most part with his anomaly, but no one was as supportive as Stanley, who loved him no matter what.

"You don't see anything wrong with a man killing a bunch of people for theories?" Ford asks coldly. "In 1962 the man had a warehouse of subjects, all with limbs chopped off terrible, spinal cords severed, and several lobotomies… people that were dying from man-made cancer from overdeveloping cells. People were being malformed and dying…" Ford then steps up to Layla, her flinching, him looking down at her with hard, cold brown eyes. "You really don't see a problem with that?"

Layla pushes him away from her, causing him to fall backwards onto his back. She glares at him with tearful eyes. "OF COURSE I THINK HE'S A MONSTER FOR IT!" she screams at him. She was crying, her words heavy with sobs. "He's my dad though… I can't justify for what he did, all he wanted to do was help me… he's the reason why I'm here-"

"WAIT A MINUTE!" Ford shouts as he jumps up, putting a hand over her mouth. "Your _father_ got you here!? _HOW!?_ " he demands. Layla clamps her mouth shut, begging with her eyes for him not to ask again. "Layla… how did you get here?!" he demands again as he removed his hand from her mouth.

"He-" she was cut off by the sound of the door crashing in, a few of those insect beings crawling in. "We need to go! _NOW!_ " she orders, grabbing Ford's hand with her left and she started running through the building.

She leads them to and open chasm that had a rope dangling. Layla jumps onto the rope and after a second of swinging she starts to climb. Ford, unsure, jumps as well, gripping the rope, him gasping as he started to slip.

"Shit!" he yells, his feet dangling. The insect beings hissed and pointed at him when they had caught up. "Oh, no… this isn't good…" he mumbles as he tries to pull himself up. Ever since he was a kid he was terrible at gym… Stanley was better physically…

"Ford, hurry the hell up!" he heard Layla scream from the top of where the rope was tied to. She had a knife in her hand, ready to cut the rope. "Don't you know how to climb!? I have less fingers than you and can climb!" she yells at him, trying to get him to move faster.

"Well I'm sorry I was terrible at gym class!" Ford screams back sarcastically as he pulls himself up, although very slowly. The beings were right below him, hissing in their odd tongue. As one made for his leg he kicks the creature and it stumbles, giving Ford a tiny bit more time.

"You're a man and you can't climb a damn rope!?" Layla screams angrily, her left hand face palming her face. "You have _got to be kidding me!_ "

Ford pulls himself more, him glaring up. "Hey, don't judge me! I was the academic twin, my brother was the athletic one!" he finally was almost to the top, but Layla was impatient and grabs him by the collar of his white dress shirt and pulls him over. Before he could thank her she slices the rope, it falling into the chasm, the creatures screeching as they fell. "Thanks…" Ford breathed.

"Yeah, yeah…" Layla replies as she stands up. Ford gets up as well, peering down the hole. "There's going to be more, so we need to get moving. I'm assuming you don't have a weapon…" she looks around, finding a chest and opening it. Inside were a few guns that looked as if they were taken out of a science-fiction TV show, a black long coat, some battery cell looking things, and goggles. "Here, take these." She tells Ford as she hands him the gun, cell pack, coat, and goggles.

"A-a gun?" Ford stammers. "I don't know how-"

"You aim, pull the trigger, and hope whatever you shot is dead." Layla snaps at him, agitated. "That is a highly intense laser beam weapon, that thing can blow holes through metal. So, I suggest you make sure what is in front of you really needs to be dead…"

"Oh, you think I'm going to point this thing at you?" Ford yells at her, completely baffled at the suggestion. "I mean, you did save my life twice now… your father may have been a terrible man but I don't see any problem with you."

"It's all about survival, Ford Pines." She tells him seriously. "And in this world… you trust no one."


	4. Information

**Chapter 4: Information**

Stan began his day tiredly as normal, bags under his eyes as he went and took a shower to wake himself up.

After he was done he goes to the front door and finds a newspaper on the porch. Stan picks it up and the first page headline read: STAN PINES DEAD?

Slowly, he picks it up, reading the article. He grunts as he walks back into the house and throws the newspaper on the chair in the living room he had set up. With a sigh he goes and gets himself ready for his little business to open up, him putting on his shirt and tie with his now traditional fez. As he was walking to the kitchen to get some coffee the phone rang, so he picks it up and heard a familiar voice.

 _"_ _Stanford?"_ it was his mother's voice.

Stan clears his throat, trying to make sure to change his voice. As children he knew how to mimic his twin very well, and the latter could do that same as well. "Hi, Ma." Stan greets on the phone, a little gruff version of Stanford's voice.

 _"_ _Oh, thank God I got a hold of you!"_ she cries out with relief on the other end. _"Did… did you hear about Stanley…?"_ she sounded as if she was going to cry.

"Yeah… I did…" Stanley replies, putting sadness in his voice. "How are you and Dad holding up?"

There was a small sigh on the other side. _"Well… your father, well, we know how he treats his emotions…"_

 _So he doesn't care…_

 _"_ _When we found out it was from drunk driving… of course your father would say that Stanley had it coming…"_ there was a choked sob and it nearly broke Stan's heart. _"But… he's still my little boy… my youngest out of you three kids… I thought by now Stanley would've swallowed his pride and come home… work at the pier or something…"_

Stan was a stubborn man, he always had been. Stanford even became more stubborn as time went on, especially from recent events. Shermie has always been stubborn, probably passing that family trait down to his own family. That was the one thing that Stan had refused to do… he didn't want to go home where his father kicked him out… where he first lost his twin brother.

"Yeah… Stanley had always been a stubborn jerk…" Stanley says on the phone. "I know he felt bad for what he did in the past…"

 _"_ _And because of your father's damn pride there isn't even going to be a funeral."_

Stan's heart drops. His father really didn't care enough for him to even have a funeral…? Not that it mattered because as soon as his parent's would've seen him they would realize who he really was.

"Not… not even anything for him…?" Stan asked quietly, almost losing his Stanford tone.

 _"_ _Well, I am going behind your father's back and I'm sending you flowers to place where Stanley… had the accident."_ His mother replies, now in a slightly more hushed tone.

Stan gives a small, sad smile. His mother would do that. She appreciated his personality and who he was, he may have not been as intelligent as Shermie, and especially Stanford, but his mother always treated him like he was just as smart. The way she was talking almost made him want to stop his whole act and tell her that he was alive and doing okay, that her little boy was making something out of himself with a business.

But he couldn't… he had a mission to do.

"I'll make sure I arrange them and send you pictures, Ma." Stan tells her, his voice cracking slightly.

 _"_ _Stanford…"_ his mother says quietly. _"Please… please take care of yourself and visit… it wouldn't hurt your research to leave for a little bit, right?"_

With a heartbroken facial expression, he outright lied to his mother, something that she herself does quite often with her job but this time he felt horrible, "I'll try to visit soon, Ma."

There was a rushed goodbye from her end and the sound of the phone hanging up. Stan stood there for a moment, hearing the long, drawn out tone of the phone. Slowly, he puts the phone back into its cradle and began to compose himself.

With a deep breath he goes to the section of the house that he made into his shop and flipped the sign to say it was open.

* * *

"Trust no one? Does that include you?"

Ford asked Layla the serious question, him with narrow eyes at her. They had already left the building that they were in and were moving across rooftops. Layla had lines set up so she could travel between the buildings as efficient as possible.

"That's up to you," she tells him honestly once she made sure everything was clear. "If you want to put your trust in me, that's fine, but if not that is fine too." She then gestures to behind a panel. "Now, go change. You need to be less recognizable." Layla ordered, her electric blue eyes looking fierce.

With a grunt Ford gathered the clothing items that Layla gave to him from the trunk from earlier and goes to behind the panel. He ditched his brown trench coat, throwing it to the side as it landed with a heavy thud. Ford still wore his dress shirt, but ditched the black tie he had, and he puts on the long, black coat. Surprisingly it was the same size as his brown one… He kept the goggles around his neck, ready to be put on when needed to be. The inside of the coat had a holster for the gun that Layla had given him, so he slips the odd device in it. There were also pockets, and there were a lot, so he could carry some other things, so he used a pocket to put the cell packs in.

Ford then walks out from behind the panel, adjusting the collar of the coat. Layla pushes past him and finds his brown coat and black tie, using a lighter that she took out of her pocket she went to go burn the articles of clothing before Ford stopped her.

"Hold on a second!" he shouted at her, his voice panicked.

"What? Sentimental value over a coat?" Layla snaps, her eyes narrowing.

Ford then goes through the pockets of his brown coat, pulling out the lighter from Stanley, a picture of the two as kids on a little broken boat they had found, and the picture of the whole family in the living room of the pawn shop. He was glad he stopped her for burning the items…

"Okay… go ahead." Ford whispers as he puts his recovered items into his new coat. He kept the pictures and the lighter in a pocket that was the closest to his heart. Soon he heard a small roar of a fire, his coat being destroyed.

Layla then stomps on the coat, putting out the fire. She then rushes back to Ford and gestures with her left hand to follow her. Together the two run to one of the devices that Layla had set up to propel herself to another rooftop.

"We only have a small window of opportunity ahead of us," she informs him. "If we don't get to it now we will have to wait another year for it to open."

"Open…?" Ford echoed, his eyebrow raised. "A year…? What the hell are you talking about?"

Layla turns to him, a bright smile on her face. "Well, we have to leave this dimension and go to a different one." She says smugly.

"Wait… what?!" Ford cried out as Layla jumps from the roof, the device propelling her across a fine cord to get to another rooftop. However, when she made it to the other side she had disappeared. Ford frantically looks around, desperately trying to look for a different device. He finds a remote and he makes a grab for it, pushing a red button. The device from the end of the cord makes a whirring sound and zips across, coming back.

The device stops, the cord vibrating. Ford encloses a hand around it, it being very small. It was only the size of a bar of soap, it a solid black, and it had various buttons on it. With a deep breath he looks over the edge of the building he was on, seeing the tiny lights at the bottom. His heart pounded, he wasn't afraid of heights like Stanley but it still made him uneasy that this tiny device was supposed to support him.

He was larger than Layla, probably had two feet in height against her and about a hundred pounds of weight more than her. She had been running for God knows how long, and she was extremely thin from not eating properly, so of course this device would support her.

"Are you coming or do you want Cipher to get you!?" Layla screams from the other side. It only seemed like it was her head floating there, her poking her head out of the invisible portal. "Hurry! You only got about thirty seconds left!"

Without thinking Ford takes a deep breath, gripping to the device with dear life, and steps off the roof. The wire bends because of his weight, just like he suspected it would, but it still shocked him to the point where he almost let go. He zips across the wire, just as fast Layla had, his stomach probably still somewhere on top of the roof.

He screams as he nearly crashes into Layla, but she dodges and soon Ford hit a soft wall, him letting go of the device and collapsing onto the ground. Ford groans, putting a hand to his head, the world spinning around him, him feeling like he was going to vomit. Groggily, he gets up, seeing Layla trying to suppress a smirk on her face.

"Wow… so graceful, Ford." Layla giggled. There was a soft hum sound and in a flash of a lime green light the cord with the device suddenly disappeared.

"Where… are we…?" Ford asks, him looking around his completely new surroundings.

The sky here was a bright red, looking almost like blood. Streaks of black accented the sky, looking almost cloudlike. They stood on a small grassy hill, the wall a tower of some soft grass clippings bundled together. The air felt much thinner, Ford feeling like he needed to take more breaths then what he was used to.

"We're in a different dimension," Layla replied simply as if it were obvious, gesturing the area with her hand. "This one should be a little safer… Cipher wouldn't have announced your arrival here quite yet."

Ford tilts his head. "Wait… how many dimensions does Cipher have control over?" he asks her.

Layla sighs. "Okay… let me rephrase this… where we just were was a pocket dimension, as is this one. There are many pocket dimensions within one large dimension." She explains, her eyes lighting up. "Bill Cipher controls this whole main dimension, and thus controls the sub dimensions. And there are small holes within these pocket dimensions to transfer to another in the same main dimension. These small windows are only open for short periods of time and they're practically invisible to the naked eye, unless you know what you're looking for."

"Where does the dimension of Earth fall into?" Ford then asks her, curious about this new findings.

Layla bites her lip. "Well… it is part of a whole different main dimension, a more powerful one that Cipher wants control over." She then fidgets uncomfortably. "And he isn't going to rest until he controls it… it is the key dimension for universal domination."

Ford looks at her, him skeptical. "Really…? Universal domination…?" his voice was filled with disbelief. He's seen and heard of many crazy things, especially during his time in Gravity Falls, but now this was sounding like a stretch.

She glares at him. "I'm serious, Ford! Think about it! Why does Cipher only have a spiritual form while on Earth? Because it is too powerful for him to get full into."

"That's why he wanted me to build the portal…" Ford whispers to himself, a hand to his chin. "It's literally a hole in the interdimensional wall, where he could slip in easily…"

"Time Baby controls Earth's dimension and the sub dimensions there…" Layla then adds. "Time Baby doesn't like Bill Cipher, so he is making sure that there is no way he can get through by any means. Until… well, geniuses like you and my father came along."

Ford growls, "Do not lump me in with Dr. Bartek." He gives Layla a hard look.

Layla returns the look. "Look, my father wasn't only just a medical doctor… he studied dimensional travels as well…" she then glances away but then adds, "Okay, Mr. Poindexter, you seem to know a lot on my father… why do you think it took so long for him to be caught and why when authorities found the bodies they were all in extremely large groups?"

Ford looks at her, baffled. He runs a hand through his brown hair, thinking about the missing people from over the years. Once he thought of a way, he whips his head to Layla in horror. "No…" he whispered. She nods grimly, confirming. "He didn't…"

"My father used the people that failed or were deemed worthless for his experiments and sent them over various dimensions, for his other experiments so to speak." Layla confirms, her face set in a neutral expression. Her hands were in tight fists, as if she was trying to hold back something.

Ford grabs her shoulders, making Layla's eyes widen. "How?! How the hell did he do it!?" he demands angrily. "I had to build a portal… so did he…!?"

She glares at him as she slowly and gently removes his hands from her shoulders. "I honestly don't know… when I was sixteen he had sent us both here, no doubt to get away from the authorities. There were some of Bill's minions, so my dad ran away with his research, telling me to run the opposite way. I haven't seen him since…"

"How long… have you been here, Layla?" Ford asks her, his voice a lot more calm than before.

"I've been here for sixteen years…" Layla replies sadly, her eyes darkening with memories of her past. "Why he brought me with him to these pocket dimensions I have no idea." She then begins walking down the hill, the wind blowing her jet black hair behind her. Ford follows her, his brown hair being blown and his coat.

Ford catches up to her, "If you don't know… how do you know so much about these pocket dimensions?" he asks, her keeping her eyes forward and not even making a glance at Ford.

She abruptly stops and fetches into her coat and pulls out a series of papers, all written in an odd language. "These." She states. "For the past sixteen years I have been breaking into multiple facilities stealing these, it took a damn good while to learn to read this and even speak it." Before Ford could try to get the papers from her she had stuffed them back into her coat. "Obviously Cipher and my father made some sort of deal… so naturally my father was the natural target and I was left alone… until I started breaking into places."

Layla continues walking and Ford follows. He couldn't help think that she had her own level of high intelligence as well, forcing herself to learn interdimensional languages. Layla probably inherited her father's genius, but the mad scientist aspect Ford was not so sure, he barely knew the woman.

"So… you're about thirty two years old then?" Ford asks casually, a slight smirk on his face as he adjusts his glasses. "What an odd coincidence, I'm that age as well." he gives a chuckle.

Layla whips her head to glare at him as she continued walking. "Don't you know it's rude to ask a woman her age?!" she shrieks at him. She whips her head forward again, but couldn't help but have a small grin on her face as she walked.

"That is why I honestly have no idea what my mother's age is." Ford laughs, causing Layla to laugh along with him.

The two walked into a small village-like area. On the outside walls of the small huts were large posters that were yellowed, faded, and torn from the elements. Layla completely ignores them but Ford stops to look at them. They were wanted posters…

The first poster was of who he recognized was Dr. Bartholomew Bartek. Dr. Bartek in the poster looked old, with heavy stress lines and bags under his eyes, a thick beard, and his hair was actually long in length but the color wasn't shaded in, so Ford assumed it was white. Underneath his picture was something written in a different language, but the one thing Ford recognized was the triangle with a single eye… Bill Cipher.

"Come on, Ford!" Layla calls out, walking toward what looked like a tavern, her feet stopping in the soft looking green grass. She then notices what he was looking at. "Wait…!" she starts running towards him.

The second poster was of Layla, much younger, most likely at the age of sixteen. Her hair was colored dark to represent her jet black hair, and it was much shorter, about down to her chin. Her eyes looked wide with youth and nervousness, her nose slightly upturned in a pixie-like way. She had much more freckles on her cheeks than she did now, but the dominant feature of the freckles being under her eyes and over the bridge of her nose was present then and now.

Layla shows up and rips both posters down, crumbling them in her hands and throwing them to the ground. She repeatedly stomps on them until she finally takes out her lighter and sets them aflame. After she was done she glared at Ford with such intensity that he flinched, almost like a child being scolded.

"That… was a little excessive, Layla…" Ford comments softly, both his hands up in a surrender position. His brown eyes were wide, and he gave a slight frown.

"Come on… I know a guy that can get us some inside information about how much Bill Cipher has spread about your capture." Layla mutters, grabbing Ford's wrist and pulling him toward the small looking tavern.

They entered the tavern, the place filled with multiple creatures. Some looked like insects, others looked like some kind of reptile, and others looked like humans but with translucent skin. Ford looks around, looking uncomfortable, some of the creatures eyeing him oddly. He follows close behind Layla, who held her head up high and went straight to the bar.

Layla then begins talking in an odd tongue, the bartender nodding and handing her two shots of some thick looking purple liquid. She passes one to Ford, who eyed it warily. She takes the shot with a straight face, asking again in the language for another.

Ford sniffs the liquid, scrunching his nose in disgust. He then puts his tongue in the liquid, and surprisingly it tasted fine, almost like a grape. Ford takes the shot, the liquid hitting the back of his throat.

"What are we doing here…?" Ford asks Layla, who was already on her third shot. "Don't tell me it's to get drunk…"

"I'm waiting for my inside guy." Layla responds, taking out a small looking gray device. The screen on it was lit up, her tapping on it. It looked like very futuristic technology. "Ah… he's here." She smiles slightly.

A large someone then sits next to Layla, wearing a black coat and hat, covering itself mostly. It muttered in the language that sounded like what Layla was speaking, her responding fluently. In a matter of minutes the conversation went completely over Ford's head, not knowing what the two were talking about.

Layla then whispered to Ford, "The good news is that Cipher hasn't updated this dimension about you yet." She takes another shot.

"You're going to get drunk…" Ford comments, pointing at her row of empty glasses.

"It'll take a hell of a lot more than these to get me drunk." She responds, taking yet another shot.

Suddenly a gun was then pointed in Ford's face by the being that was talking to Layla. Layla jumps up, her own gun in her hand pointing at the being. They both started arguing, Layla sounding upset.

"Ford… RUN!" Layla screams as she pulls her trigger, a beam from her gun hitting her information supplier. Soon other guns were being pulled out as Ford starts running through the tavern, him reaching in his coat and grabbing his own gun. It felt odd in his hand, it was heavy and bulky feeling. As someone aimed at him, he aims as well, his hands shaking. Layla then grabs him and pulls him away just as a beam almost hits Ford.

They exited the tavern, Layla shooting behind her. A beam hits her shoulder and she screams, putting a hand to it. Ford, with his gun in his hand, aims and shoots, hitting one of the creatures square in the chest, it flying back. Layla was hissing in pain and Ford had to drag her off to the side. She wasn't running along with him, forcing him to put her on his back to carry her and starts running as fast as he could go.

"That… bastard…" Layla mutters, her breathing heavy.

"Who? The guy that shot you?" Ford replies.

"No… my information…" Layla states. "Apparently Cipher had a bounty on your head… you must be really important… it was a setup because they wanted the reward…"

Ford looks down, feeling guilty. "Sorry then that you're associated with me…" he tells her. He slowed his pace, trying to catch his breath when he sees an alleyway and runs in it. He catches his breath as he gently sets down Layla, who was holding her bleeding shoulder.

Layla glances at him, her face covered in a sheen of sweat. "No it's my fault… I probably should've went in alone…" she admits. She tries to reach in her coat but winced in pain. Ford then goes and helps her, finding something that resembled a first aid kit. "Thanks…" she whispers, shrugging off her coat, her wearing a solid black tank top, her arms covered in various thick scars. Ford's eyes widened. "It's all fine…" she assures him as she goes and starts to clean up her wound.

"I'll just be going then…" Ford then says as he slowly gets up to make his exit.

Layla then shouts, "Go where? You're gonna get killed out there!" She finishes bandaging her shoulder and puts back on her coat. "Cipher is going to find you easily, you don't know what you're doing."

"Look where trying to help me got you, Layla!" he screams back at her.

"You just like pushing people away, don't you?" Layla screeches angrily.

Ford, with his hands in balled off fists, screamed, "Yes! Yes I do push people away! I pushed my twin brother away, moved to the other side of the country and basically cut all connections with my family, I pushed away one of my good friends, and… I'm _fine_ with it!" Ford was fuming, remembering how he ended up in a different dimension. "Because I needed Stanley's help… and we fought… I ended up here… I should never have asked him to come to Gravity Falls." His eyes were hard and full of rage.

Layla's eyes then soften, looking sad. "You pushed your twin brother away…? You cut off yourself from your family?" her voice was soft. "How can you be fine ditching your family like that?"

Ford shrugs, honestly not knowing himself. He was turning away, but she puts a hand on his shoulder. Normally he would've tried to shrug it off, but for a moment he felt an odd comfort from it.

The sky was starting to turn into a dark crimson, resembling nightfall. Layla glances around, tugging in his shoulder gently. He turns and she gestures for him to follow. She leads them to a wall of the alleyway, removing some kind cloaking device to reveal a small alcove that had makeshift blankets and pillows.

"What…?" Ford questions. "How did you know this was here?"

"Sixteen years, remember?" Layla answers him. "I set up multiple of these across everywhere so I can sleep semi-safely."

"Semi…?"

"Well, it's just an illusion." Layla explains. "I can still be heard and if someone touches the wall and feel nothing they know its fake." She pulls him in and sets up the device, a wall now "enclosing" them in. She then cracks something and a faint green light gently illuminates their tiny space. "So… we'll sleep in rotation, I'll take first watch."

Ford went to protest but she gives him a glare, he shuts his mouth and leans against a pillow that was against the wall. His eyes felt heavy and slowly he shuts them, hearing Layla's gentle humming that sounded a lot like a sound from a record that he and Stanley would listen together.

With a light grin, he falls asleep.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Sorry about the lack of update yesterday! I just simply didn't have time! I will post a short story sometime later today if I can... I feel bad...

But thank you for reading, as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	5. Flowers and Drinks

**Chapter 5: Flowers and Drinks**

Stan finishes up counting the money that he had made during his opening hours of the shop, surprisingly making a lot more money now that the weather was starting to get nicer.

He found out that Oregon had a lot of tourist traps, including for the biggest ball of yarn and other stuff like that. Now that he opened his shop up it was starting to go around and with a lore like Gravity Falls being weird, people were naturally attracted to it. He even had official merchandise being made, such as bumper stickers and t-shirts, things that tourists were actually buying next to paying to see he displays.

For once being a liar and cheat was paying off for him. He didn't know whether or not to be proud of himself or not.

His mother did end up sending flowers like she said she was, many of them were viola sororia, a beautiful violet flower that was New Jersey's state flower. Like he had promised his mother he had taken them and arranged them where he had faked his death, taking pictures with a disposable camera he bought at the mini mart Dusk 2 Dawn. Before he had sent the pictures he had looked over Stanford's handwriting, practicing for a bit before he could forge his signature perfectly, even writing a letter to his mother. Even though she sent a letter back in response, and even pictures of Shermie and his small family, Stan never wrote back after that. He thought it was better this way.

It had been over two months since he arrived in Gravity Falls, each day he worked in his shop to earn money to pay off the bills that were coming through the door. During the night, however, he went and tried to work on the portal, fixing all the mechanical parts that he could until he could go purchase special tools for other things. He was becoming sleep deprived, often sleeping at random points after his work day before he would go work on the portal.

During his two months in Gravity Falls he had already seen enough odd things that he could make a series of movies about them. He has seen gnomes walk around trying to steal sweets and he's seen weird things flying around that resembled eyeballs with batwings. He has turned a blind eye to it though, as he noticed once in a while someone would question him if he had seen anything odd in town, so he would outright lie saying that the town was small and sleepy and that was normal for that kind of town.

He had an odd feeling that if he were to mention the weirdness that was in the woods, or mention anything in Stanford's journal, that something would happen to him and jeopardize everything he was trying to accomplish. He couldn't risk it, so he just went on with his life like nothing was unusual.

As he set up shop for the day, his mind kept going back to his mother. Stan was more close to his mother when he was a child, her accepting him for his odd personality. Hell, because of her job practically being liar, he learned it all from her. Although his mother rarely showed emotion to her children, but sure a hell of a lot more than his father, he could tell his mother was always happy with her children.

With a sigh he gets on the phone and orders more viola sororia flowers. When he had received them in the next couple of days he set a few in vases around the house, as the smell reminded him a better time in his life. He also sent flowers to his mother anonymously, but he had a feeling that she knew who they were from.

But the past was behind him, right now he had to focus on his present, to get his twin brother back.

* * *

It had been about two months since Ford was thrown into the portal, and it had been two months since he's been running between the pocket dimensions with Layla.

He was getting better with his gun, the two always getting in gunfights whenever they enter a new area. Ford's wanted poster was starting to pop up everywhere now, being posted right next to a newer version of Layla's poster. Whenever they had the time they would rip down the posters and burn them. Now when they go into public places Layla covers her face with her scarf while Ford puts on his goggles, him not having a scarf yet. At taverns and other extremely crowded places they don't really unless they seem some suspicious activity, so they sat in their spots without their facial masks.

They were sitting at a table, drinking some odd green slop in yet a different dimension using one of the secret portals that Layla knew about. The drink didn't taste bad, but the odd green color had made Ford uneasy before he took a full swig of it. Layla was already on her third drink, her chugging it down like it was no one's business.

"Ford, you need to live a little," she told him, sliding him her fourth drink as she orders another. Her words were slightly slurred.

"Not while any minute we can get shot at." Ford retorts, him finishing the drink that she had passed him. The bartender was going to give him another but he declined.

Layla scoffs, taking a swig of her drink. "I've been here for over a decade, Ford." She points out, her words very slurred now. "I-I think I know what I am doing."

Ford rolls his eyes as he stands up, pulling a small card from his inside coat pocket. It was a small green rectangle, almost resembling a card. He leaves it on the table, grabs Layla, and walks off with her in tow.

"Hey!" she yelped as they made it outside, Ford putting the goggles over his eyes and forcing her scarf to cover the bottom half of her face. "W-what w-was that for?" she mutters to him as she stumbles.

"You're drunk, so we're leaving before a scene can be made." Ford sternly tells her, keeping a firm grip on Layla's wrist.

The two then walked by their wanted posters, Layla ripping away from Ford's grip and stopping to clumsily rip them down. She had stopped and really looked at the posters and was giggling.

 _Yep… she's drunk._

During the two months that the two were dimension hopping he's noticed that she was somewhat of an alcoholic. Everywhere they went she drank as much as she wanted oblivious to any kind of danger. Some drinks don't even make her buzzed let alone drunk, but then there were the kinds that even after two drinks she gets plastered. There were more than a few occasions where a simple bar fight turned into a full blown manhunt when the patrons recognized the two.

Ford had his share of drinking, he had had alcohol in his cabinets back in Gravity Falls, but he would only drink a shot or two once in a while. Ever since being in this dimension he has drank more alcohol than he had ever had before, but he doesn't get drunk. Ford didn't like to cause a scene, and when Layla was drunk enough a scene was made.

Despite her drinking tendencies Ford takes some form of comfort traveling with her. They were both humans trapped in another dimension because someone put them there, whether it be on accident or on purpose. Sometimes he wonders why she drinks… he never really asked.

The two were walking to an old building they were using as a temporary hideout, them having some blankets and pillows from one of Layla's secret alcoves. Ford had found some food amongst the odd shops that were around in the streets, some people trying to say he looked like the man on the poster, but he assured them with a threat that he was not. Once the two humans were inside the building, Layla starts her bubbling laughter as she rummages through her area and grabbed a fifth of vodka as Ford lit a lantern.

"Wait a minute… how the hell do you have Earth vodka?" Ford asks while setting the lantern down on the ground then proceeding to taking the bottle away from her and recognizing the brand. It was an expensive kind too…

"O-once in a-a while some t-things from other d-dimensions go through a p-portal and get sucked in." Layla explains in a drunken drawl. "I-I find them and I-I s-stockpile…" she then takes the bottle from him and goes to open it, but Ford snatches it back.

"I'm cutting you off, Layla." Ford snaps at her, giving her a hard glare. In a way he was more acting like he was a father of teenager trying to underage drink.

She rolls her electric blue colored eyes, giving a long sigh. Her breath reeked of alcohol. "You're no fun, Fordsy." She complains, her giving a pout.

He screams furiously, "Don't call me that!" The only other being that had ever called him that was Bill, and it was always in a sarcastic manner and now because of what Bill had done to screw him over, it was a nickname that he wasn't fond.

"Whatever, Sixer." Layla then mumbles as she stumbles to her little sleeping area.

Ford was about to yell again when he realized what she called him. The only person that ever called him "Sixer" was Stanley. As a child Ford was often made fun of for his polydactyl, so Stanley had made him the nickname to feel better about the anomaly. Stanley even said "High Six" instead of "High Five" knowing his twin brother would be happy.

What was Stanley doing now? Ford often asks himself this question on a daily basis. Would Stanley try to open the portal again? No, he couldn't… he only has one-third of the notes about it from Ford's journal, the other two were buried on the woods far away from each other. But Stanley wasn't the type of person to just walk away from it all like it never happened… especially when it came to family.

Ford shakes his head. He couldn't really think about that right now… right now he had to make sure Layla didn't get alcohol poisoning. Layla had went to her little stash and was trying to drink the alcohol when Ford comes and snatches it. She groans very loudly and tries to snatch it back, but to no avail.

"Layla, _enough_." Ford practically growls, him becoming annoyed. He held the bottles of alcohol high above his head, her trying to reach but she kept smacking him in his nose. He honestly felt like he was dealing with a toddler… or Stanley.

"Ugh… you r-really are a stick in the mud," she mutters as she gives up and goes to her pile of blankets. She flops down, not even taking off her coat and boots.

Ford tosses the bottles he had gently to the side, them making a slight clink when they clashed. He goes to his little sleeping pile and shrugs off his coat. He had replaced his white dress shirt with a solid black sweater-looking shirt, the dress shirt becoming way too dirty and ripped.

"Well, if there had been an incident, what would you have done besides get yourself killed?" Ford asked her seriously. He then picked up some books he had found around, Layla was helping him read and write the language, so the books he found helped him.

"E-easy," she drunkenly drawled, putting a hand in the air pointing at the ceiling. "I-I'd shoot them in their G-God d-damned faces!" she then proceeds to make gun shooting noises.

Ford sighs, "You can barely walk a straight line right now and you think you could've actually taken our gun, aimed, and shoot them in the face?" he rolls his eyes, clearly baffled at her logic.

There was no response. Ford glances over and she was snoring away, her mouth wide open and a hand on her chest. With a small chuckle of laughter, thinking how she could fall asleep so fast, he then goes and retrieves the lantern and blows away its small, yet brilliant flame. The room they were in became pitch black, his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. He falls asleep, but he had trained himself to be a light sleeper back in Gravity Falls so he was prepared in case someone tried to the sneak up on the two.

The next morning Layla was of course hung over to high hell, her complaining about her headache and how all she wanted to do was sleep and throw up. Ford then always reminds her that she was drinking too much and needed to cut down or stop all together.

"Why do you drink so much anyway?" Ford asks her as he rolled up his blankets and pillow. He was packing up his "camping gear" into a shoulder bag he had found. This had been useful for when they couldn't find one of Layla's secret alcoves and needed to crash somewhere. "You're going to end up with liver failure and alcohol poisoning."

"The real question is why do _you_ drink so _little_?" she retorts, her long, jet black hair spiking up in various directions. She then flops her face down and was trying to cover her head with a flat pillow when Ford lifts it off of her.

"I'm serious, Layla." He tells her. "Why do you drink so much? You know it's not good for your health, especially while living in shitholes like this."

She groans and snatches the pillow from him. "I drink to forget, but sadly you can never truly forget." She mumbles into the pillow, it was so soft that Ford practically had to put his ear close to her. "No matter how bad a memory is, no matter what you do to try to forget, it finds its way back..."

Ford then glances at her with sympathy. She was drinking to forget something… to ease a pain. But it keeps finding its way back. He wondered what she was trying to forget.

"What are you trying to forget…?" he asks her gently.

"My father…" she whispers. "The way he did things… the way he put us here…" she then sits up, fixing her hair. "But… that doesn't matter now… we need to get moving." She abruptly states as she stands up and quickly packs up her own little bag.

"To where?" Ford questions, surprised at how she sprang up so quickly from her hangover. Then again she probably was used to it…

"I have a lead on where important documents regarding about my father's research is…" Layla explains. "A lot of it is about the portals, so if we can access those documents we can easily find the portals to all the pocket dimensions and even access them ourselves without to wait for them to open naturally."

Ford gently shakes his head. It wasn't adding up with her… she was saying she was drinking to forget about him, but was going to find his research. He sighs as he puts a strap over his shoulder, carrying his bag.

"So… why do they have his research?" Ford asks, looking a bit skeptical. "Didn't you say he was on the run?"

Layla answers quickly, "I'm assuming at one point he got caught and they took some of it… but then he escaped. They don't know how to decipher his research, he put it all in code."

Ford raises an eyebrow. "Are you saying you can decipher it?"

"No… but you can."

Ford's brown eyes widened. "Wait… what?" he sputtered.

Layla just gives him a smirk. "You're the kind of guy that writes shit in code, so if anyone can write in it they can crack it. Once we get that research we can have access to the other pocket dimensions easily, which means eventually once we find my father's main portal research we can find a way to get back _home_!"

 _Home…?_

Ford then shakes his head, causing Layla to look at him with a confused face. "We shouldn't mess with any main dimensional portals." Ford stated. "The portal I built was literally set up in a weak spot in the dimensional wall, punching a hole through it. If we did that here we basically give Cipher a one way ticket to Earth!" he then gestures with a hand. "Then once that happens he'll spread Weirdmageddon."

It was Layla's turn to look skeptical. "Weirdmageddon? Really? Couldn't think of a better name, Ford?"

Ford groans loudly and starts to walk away. "We'll find that research though… we have to, because if we don't, Bill will…"

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello everyone! I'm sorry it took so long to update this story! I was having a little writers block about this one, but the short stories were coming very easily for some reason.

Thank you for reading again, I always appreciate it!

~Skye Hendersen~


	6. Digging and Drilling

**Chapter 6: Digging and Drilling**

Stan screams in frustration as he throws a tool into the metal of the portal, it echoing in the room with a metallic clang sound.

"Why is this so damn _hard_!?" Stan screams as he reads the journal for what seemed like the billionth time. The he remembered that his twin said that he already hid the other two… Stan face palms himself. "God damn it, Stanford… _really!?_ "

He lights himself a lantern and puts on a light jacket to go out into the spring night air. In one hand he had the lantern and in the other he had a shovel that he had found. Twigs snapped beneath his feet as he walked into the woods, only the dim light of the lantern illuminating his path. He figured that he would look for some dirt areas, thinking maybe that Stanford would've buried the other two journals.

Once he found a suitable dirt area he started digging. Eventually he had to strip off his jacket as the physical work of digging was making him sweat. He dug for hours, only about digging six feet deep holes, figuring that his brother wouldn't bury them too deep. Stan would find odd things like totems and even empty boxes, but he tosses them aside, not particularly caring. He checked his now filthy watch, the time being about five in the morning.

Stan growls and starts filling up his holes. Once they were filled he took the lantern and made his way back to the house, his jacket slung over his shoulder. He makes it to the house and takes off his muddy boots and left them by the front door, him grumbling as he blew the flame out from his lantern and continued to the bedroom he claimed. He only got about three hours of sleep, his alarm going off that he needed to get up and open his store.

With a groan he gets ready with his shower and getting dressed, placing his fez on his head. He drank a few cups of coffee to wake himself up and he opens the store by nine. He waits behind the counter, waiting for any customers. It wasn't unusual for him to be terribly tired from working all night on the portal, but today he almost fell asleep multiple times.

But it was worth it, he had to get his brother back. He had to make up for what he had done all those years ago…

His day felt long as customers came in and asked for tours. Stan did his stores as positive as he could, but because of his lack of sleep his fuse on annoyance was a lot shorter. A few times he wanted to kick everyone out and call them every terrible name under the sun, but he knew he couldn't do that. After the day was done and he was able to close up the store, he crashed on the chair he had set himself up in the living room, him snoring away until an alarm he had set up woke him.

Stan groans, his eyes bloodshot with no sleep. He then grabs the lantern and the shovel once again and hikes out into the woods to repeat what he had done the night before.

 _I will get Stanford back… I need to get him back…!_

It was all he can think about the next few nights that he dug in the woods.

* * *

Ford and Layla were running through what looked like an industrial area of the dimension they were in.

Both had dropped off their bags off at another one of Layla's secret alcoves and were running through some alleyway when the woman suddenly stopped. Ford barley stopped in time, him almost bowling her over. She was much smaller than he was and was a lot faster than him, but he could still knock her down without a problem. She was stopped in front what looked like a back door to somewhere.

"So… what the hell is this place?" Ford impatiently asks her as the dark haired woman began scaling the wall. His brown eyes widens as he adjusts his glasses. "How… are you doing that?"

"Shh, Ford!" Layla chastises, a finger to her lips. She was about halfway up the wall. "I'm better at climbing apparently…" she was referring to when Ford could barely climb up a simple rope. She makes it to the top and disappears for a moment. The door then opens and she stood there panting as if she had been running. "Alright, come on in, we have to do something before we can actually go steal my father's research."

Ford follows her in the large building, it looking like some kind of factory. Their footsteps echo in the building, Layla looking through random looking papers that she came across with. She does a dark grin and grabs Ford's hand, leading him into a certain room that all it had was a chair with straps at the armrests.

"What the hell is _this!?_ " Ford demands, gesturing to the chair.

"Sit in it," she orders.

 _"_ _WHAT!?"_

She then proceeds to push him into the chair, the straps enclosing around his wrists. Around Ford's ankles something wraps around, holding his legs in place. He struggled but he couldn't budge, Layla just rolling her eyes.

"Have you ever been possessed by Bill Cipher?" Layla asks him curiously. "Like he had taken over your body for a certain amount of time?"

"Yes, multiple times!" Ford growls, his brown eyes hard and filled with anger as he stares her down. "Now let me out of this damn thing!"

She shakes her head. "No, I need to make sure that you won't get possessed unwillingly." She says, Layla then taps her head, a soft clang can be heard. When she notices Ford's eyes widen she explains, "My father used to get possessed by Bill as well. The night my father sent us here he put a weird helmet on my head… it drilled a small hole and coated the top part of my skull with a lightweight metal."

"Your father _drilled your head_!?" Ford screams. "Your own father!? He didn't give you and kind of anesthetic or something!?"

Layla shrugs. "According to him we didn't have time… but I've noticed that with the metal Bill Cipher can't get into your head unless you give him permission, or any other dream demon for that matter." She kept a head to her head, her eyes glassy looking, as if she was about to cry. She then shakes her head and goes to the edge of the room where a small silver table held multiple tools and vials. The vials were anesthetic-like medicines. "I'm going to numb you up and do the same to you, this is a special facility where some of my father's stolen research was put to use. This building is like a rebellion against Bill kind of hideout where they use this procedure on themselves to not get possessed by him."

Ford looks at her for a moment, he was sympathetic that she had to go through the pain of having her head drilled in. And if there was a rebellion…

"Then why aren't you part of the rebellion?" Ford asks, his body relaxing in the chair more.

"I was," she replies simply as she walks over with a syringe. "I ran away from it, because they're just as bad as Bill." She looks at him with her electric blue eyes, them filling with tears. "I rather not talk about it now… so hold still-" she was about to inject the liquid into Ford's vein in his neck when he shook his head.

"No… just proceed with the procedure…" he told her, his brown eyes looking warm, resembling melted chocolate. "You didn't get a choice, so neither should I."

Her mouth was agape, surprised at him saying that. She gives a small nod and goes and sets the syringe down on the table. Layla then goes back to Ford, who looked at her with a gaze that was full of trust. She slowly lowers the helmet onto Ford's head, strapping it on so it will stay, and she removes his glasses go they wouldn't get more damaged. A few buttons were pressed as she stays next to him, putting her left hand onto his arm, in a way to try to comfort him.

Ford starts screaming as something sharp begins piercing the skin on the side of his head, his hot blood pouring down, him feeling it dripping off his cheek. The sharp object then starts spinning, him screaming louder and louder as he felt it go deeper into his head. His hands were clenched into tight fists, his knuckles white as bone. Ford's body twitched involuntarily in the pain, but he tried to keep still as possible. He felt his head get heavier, the liquid metal being pumped into the wound. He screams in pain, his breathing ragged sounding, but Layla kept her hand on him, which he saw as a major comfort.

What seemed like an eternity the drill was pulled from his temporal bone, the sound of the machine turning off. Ford sat in the chair, the blood dripping from the wound, him panting as he tried to get his heart rate to calm down. Layla pushed a button with the hand she had his glasses in and the straps that were wrapped around his wrists and ankles released. Immediately he puts a hand on Layla's that was on his arm and closes his eyes, his breathing slowing down.

"Are… are you okay?" Layla asks, her voice filled with concern.

Ford raises his free hand. "Yeah I'm fine…" he whispers hoarsely. With Layla's free hand she smacks it to Ford's.

"High Six then that you're okay!" Layla gives a brilliant smile as she puts Ford's glasses back on him.

Ford's eyes glossed over as she gets up and unstraps the helmet from his head. She raises it to see his wound on the side of his head, noticing that it was still bleeding and that she needed to patch up. Ford was surprised that she actually said that to him, as the only ever person that did was Stanley, who always did it with him to be positive about his anomaly. Layla had gotten some medical supplies and patched the bleeding hole on his head, him stinging when she was cleaning it.

"Thanks…" he tells her as he gets up from the chair, him a little off balance. "The hell…"

Layla then puts an arm around his waist to keep him up straight. "It might take you a bit to get used to the metal on your skull, for it to be more top heavy." She says as they slowly walked out of the building, her locking the door behind them. "They're gonna know their equipment was used, but hopefully they won't trace it to me."

"What would happen if they do?" Ford questions, his voice still a hoarse whisper.

"Well… they'll hunt me down and do ungodly experiments on me since I am a human." Layla replies nonchalantly.

"What?!" Ford gasps. "D-did they try to do it before or something?"

"Reason why I left besides them wanting to rule the universe like Cipher." Layla admits. "Once I found out they wanted to experiment on me I ran away, I was hunted down for a few years and then they gave up."

They walked out of the industrial looking district, Layla leading Ford to the alcove where they had put their bags. She activates the hologram wall and they enter, Ford practically almost falling down since she wasn't fully paying attention to keep him upright. She helps him to the ground, a few pillows around, but not many blankets.

"I thought… we were going to-" Ford was trying to say until he was cut off by Layla.

"We were… if you had used the anesthetic." She interrupts. "But right now you're in no condition to do something dangerous. Just rest okay?" Her eyes were pleading, and Ford gives a sigh and nods his head. "Okay… I'll keep watch, okay?" another nod, and he was falling asleep when he was hearing her hum again.

He thought she had a nice sound to her…

Ford then falls asleep, his head filled with the sound of her humming.

* * *

 **A/N:** I probably could've made this chapter longer... but I got stuck...

And I know in the show that Ford said that he personally got a metal plate installed, but I thought this would be more dramatic in a way.

Thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	7. Caught

**Chapter 7: Caught**

The next couple of weeks for Stan were long and tiring, him going out all night to try to find the other two journals that Stanford had made.

Sometimes he was digging at the same spots, causing him to be frustrated. He tried to go deeper and deeper into the woods, and even digging deeper. But to no avail did he ever find a trace of the other journals. He knew his brother would've put other key parts about the portal in the other journals, that's why he had hid them. But Stan needed them now to get his brother back, and if he can't find them this was going to take a hell of a lot longer than he would like.

His days were the same, running his businesses, and after a few months changed the name from the "Murder Hut" to the "Mystery Shack", attracting more customers. Although he made his fake attractions, he saw many weird things while digging in the woods. He saw trees that literally uproot from their spots and go somewhere else. Stan felt like he was being followed and watched, which he learned from locals it was a legend of about the Hidebehind. He didn't dare try to use any of them for his attractions…

That was because of Fiddleford McGucket, whom stops by on occasion, each time being crazier than before. The first time Stan had met the man he had introduced himself as Stanford Pines, to which the lunatic man replied, "No you're not Ford…" which caused Stan to be weary of the man. Fiddleford would come during his tours, saying he saw crazy things in the woods, and sometimes would be escorted out by someone, then the next day he wouldn't remember a thing but go on about other crazy thing he saw.

Stan had a feeling there were certain people in the town that was dedicated to keep the supernatural under wraps. For some strange reason he felt if he let it slip that he knew about the odd things or even put it as part of his attractions he would end up like crazy McGucket.

One time when McGucket came to the Shack, ready to spew his nonsense, Stan had pulled him to the side and asked how he knew that Stan wasn't Stanford. The crazy man looked at him with a cocked head and an insane smile.

"Well… I worked w'him." The kook had told him.

"So you know about…" Stan looked side to side to make sure no one was around and listening. "The portal…?"

Fiddleford's face had paled to a deathly white, his eyes glazed over. The man proceeded to speak backwards, which had made Stan back up a few paces. Fiddleford had then made a triangle with his fingers and put it the space over his eye, making it look like the triangle had a single eye.

Stan, now stocking up his shelves at the end of the work day, began thinking. For some odd reason a lot of the architecture of the house was triangular, more so than other homes. The attic for instance had a window that was a triangle with a circular design in the upper center… like an eye…

Did Stanford deal with something that influenced him to make his house that way?

Stan then remembers the way his brother was acting when he first came to Gravity Falls. The man had looked like he hadn't slept for days, his facial hair unshaven, bags under his eyes, and his eyes darting around like he was about to be jumped. What had made Stanford act like that? Was it the same thing that had made Fiddleford go insane since he used to work with him?

Stan wished he could go talk to Fiddleford, talk to him about his and Stanford's doings in Gravity Falls. He knew he couldn't though, because half the time the man forgot who Stan was, often going on about unicorns in the woods, special crystals that in the light can grow and shrink objects, and the man would go on about triangles.

If Stan began to know more about the strange and supernatural occurrences of Gravity Falls, Oregon, he had a feeling that _they_ would come after him too. And if he became crazy like McGucket, then Stanford would never come back…

* * *

Over the next few days Ford had rested from his ordeal with the metal, his head aching terribly.

Layla had been going out of the secret alcove and gotten food supplies while he rested. She helped him with the wound in his head, and often giving him some kind of medicine to dull his pounding head. Layla would even ask him questions, which he found odd until she told him sometimes amnesia was a side effect of the procedure.

Ford was feeling a lot better, his headache finally gone after the weeks end. The two grabbed their bags and left the alcove, walking down the streets of the dimension in shadows, avoiding any other creature. Their posters were everywhere at this point, Dr. Bartek's being mainly forgotten, Ford's becoming more prominent.

They were seemingly unnoticed until while walking by an alleyway Layla was grabbed and pulled into the pitch black. Her scream got muffled as a large tentacle covered her mouth and another wrapped around her torso. She tried to struggle but couldn't, her eyes wide with fear.

"Layla!" Ford cried out as he followed her into the darkness. His eyes adjusted, but he was mainly following the sound of Layla's muffled grunts and screams. Something hits him in the head, him wincing when he heard the metal in his head clang. "Layla!" he calls out again.

Something goes over his mouth and torso as well, causing him to flail his body around to try to escape. He had used this method countless times in Gravity Falls while hunting the supernatural and anomalies, but this time it had failed him. His body falls to the ground and was being dragged, the rough ground scraping into his exposed skin.

Suddenly he was tossed aside, feeling like he landed on something. Layla yelps in pain as he had landed on her, and he mumbles a quick apology to her. The floor beneath them was some kind of metal, and it was cold in there, making the metal in his head ache painfully.

"Damn it…!" Ford swore. "Where the hell are we?"

Layla said nothing, her breathing ragged and panicked. Ford's eyes adjusted to the gloom and for the first time he saw her actually crying and freaked out. Did she know what was happening?

"Layla…?" Ford whispered to her gently. "Do you know what is happening?"

Layla looks at him with a panic stricken face. "They somehow found me… the equipment we used, they had to have traced it to me…" she mutters, mostly to herself. "And they saw you with me, so they know it was used on you."

Ford's eyes narrow. "Then… what is going to happen to us?" he asks her. He grunts and falls to the side, whatever container they were in beginning to move. "Shit…!"

"Well… I'm a female human, they never saw one before I came to the pocket dimensions." She points out. "And they never truly caught my father, so they're gonna see you as an experiment too…"

Ford rolls his eyes. "Great… just great." He mutters, putting a hand to his face.

The box they were entrapped in bumped around, causing the two to shift around. Ford was actually calmer than Layla, who looked like she was going to hyperventilate. She did mention about how they saw her as a test subject… but for what? Layla sat there, tears streaking her face, making him think that there was more than she was letting on about what they wanted her for.

Without knowing how much time has passed, the movement finally stopped, causing Layla to gasp. Without even thinking Ford puts a hand on her leg, trying to comfort her. The door opens and appearing in a black silhouette from the bright light behind it was some extremely large creature. The monster grabs Ford by the back of his black trench coat with one hand, then it grabbed Layla with the other and she yelped like a small child.

The monster was huge, looking about eight feet in height, probably a good five hundred or so pounds. Its skin was a dark green, thick scars covering what resembled human biceps and other muscles. It had had a fairly large head, it extremely rectangular looking and pudgy, the cracked and yellowing teeth hooking down from the upper mouth to the outside, overlapping its bottom lip. The monster had beady black eyes, they were so small that Ford couldn't fathom on how it could see at all.

It opened its mouth, talking in some strange language. Layla flinched, making it known that she knew what the thing said. The monster carried them by their coats, almost like how a child would carry a stuffed animal, and took them inside what seemed like an abandoned warehouse. They were thrown onto the concrete floor, the two humans grunting in pain as their skin was scraped up.

Layla looked up, her eyes wide in horror and her face whiter than a sheet of paper. "Magum…" she barely whispered. Ford looks up to see a different creature wearing what appeared to be very nice clothing. It was tall and slender, its skin a translucent gray, revealing its veins, arteries, and other kinds of vessels going throughout its body. The eyes were a bright white, no pupil and no iris, which made Ford feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Hello, Layla Bartek." The creature said in perfect English. "How long has it been? Five, no ten years?"

"W-what do you want with us?!" the woman demands, her voice shaking. "I'm not part of your shit anymore!"

Magum snaps its humanoid fingers, a completely different monster bringing him two rolled up pieces of parchment. It unrolls them both, showing the wanted posters of both Layla and Ford. "Well… I could turn Stanford Pines in for the reward, anonymously of course, not showing Bill Cipher who we truly are-"

"You low-life, shit eating bastard-!" Layla shouted, her voice filled with venom, but she was cut off when the monster that had dragged them out of the box does a hard slap on her back, causing her to crumple to the ground like a doll. She gasped in pain, blood in the corner of her mouth.

"I wasn't finished, Layla." Magum says calmly, as if nothing happened. "I don't have to turn him in, or you for that matter… if you do a job for me."

"I rather be mentally tortured by Cipher himself you piece of shit!" Layla practically growls, her trying to get herself up from the ground.

Magnum kept a neutral expression, its stare unblinking. "I don't think you have a choice, Layla. You used my equipment without permission-"

Layla interrupts angriliy, "The equipment made possible by _my_ father's research!" Another hard slap and she once again fell to the concrete, the side of her head slamming hard to the ground. Ford inched closer to her to hold her down so she wouldn't try to get up again.

"What is the job you want done…? Magum is it?" Ford asks, his voice level.

Magum gives a sinister smile. "Ah, someone with manners." It said pleasingly. "You see, you used equipment that didn't belong to you, so you have to pay for it."

"Okay…?" Ford dragged out the word. "What… you want us to steal some kind of money for you or…?"

Magum raised a humanoid hand. "No, none of that." It assured. "I want research stolen… I'm assuming you know of Dr. Bartek through his wench of a daughter here-"

Layla spits out bloody saliva. "Asshole…" she mutters, but thankfully only Ford heard or else she would be hit again.

"- So you know that he had research for plans about opening portals to the other pocket dimensions willingly, without waiting the time period for them to open on their own." Magum continued.

Ford nods. He and Layla wanted to get it… but if they want it, they could "go get it" and run off with it. He gives a mental smile, thinking that's probably what Stanley would do.

"Oh, I wouldn't be thinking that, Mr. Stanford Pines." Magum breaks Ford's thoughts. The monster gives a sneer, seeing the confusion on Ford's face. "Telepathic." He states as he took a step forward. "We'll hold on to Layla here… while you go get the research and bring it back to me here at this warehouse." Magum grabbed Layla by her upper arm and jerked her away from Ford, her grunting in effort to try to pry him away from her. "I'll give you a week, Stanford." It snaps and a piece of paper was brought to Ford, the writing in English stating instructions. "If you don't comply, well, Layla we had wanted for some time now, but I can make a tip to Cipher about you… so what's it going to be? Deal?" it held out its free hand for a handshake, its hand engulfed in a golden flame.

 _Layla was right… this group is just as bad as Cipher…_ Ford thought frantically.

"Oh I assure you," Magum whispered lowly for him to only hear. "I am _worse_ than that pathetic dream demon." It gives a smile. "Do we have a deal, Stanford?"

Layla was looking at Ford with wide electric blue eyes, them pleading for him not to take the deal. But he felt like he had to, she had saved him and helped him in this dimension, Ford had to help her to repay her.

"Deal." Ford says, taking Magum's hand and shaking it.

"Excellent, your one week begins – Now."

* * *

 **A/N:** Dun dun duuunnnnn. Sorry this took a little bit, but like I had said for some reason this story is a little harder to write. I had the beginning planned out perfectly, and the ending I know what will happen, just the... middle is a bit difficult.

Thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	8. Tricked

**Chapter 8: Tricked**

One week, he had one week to steal whatever he needed to pay off the organization for using equipment and to save Layla.

Ford groans as he walked through the damp streets, a liquid raining from the sky that _defiantly_ wasn't water. He kept the goggles over his eyes, using his trench coat to cover his head. His black boots splashed in the puddles beneath him, the water splashing onto his pants, soaking them.

He didn't know the dimensions like Layla did, even with the printed instructions that were folded deep in his pocket. As whatever fell from the sky, the wind picked up, seemingly going through his skin and bones. His teeth chattered, wrapping the trench coat tighter around him. He wanted to stop and rest, but he felt like he had no time, he had to do the job and help Layla.

Ford finds an area to get out of the rain for a little bit, unfolding his instructions to see where to go. The instructions seemed simple enough, the only problem was _how_ to get there. By the looks of the instructions it seemed that Ford had to travel all across _this_ particular dimension to an alien research facility where they had the research at. The problem was… according to whatever maps he found about distance, it was at least a four day walk… which was more than half of his time limit.

 _Damn it… how the hell am I gonna get there?_

He desperately searches around, finding something that resembled like a motorcycle. There were no wheels, making him wonder how it was supposed to move at all. For some reason the "keys" were in where he assumed the ignition was, making Ford barely think. He jumps onto the vehicle and turns the keys, the engine roaring to life sounding similar to a high pitch whine. Ford obviously didn't know how to drive this thing, let alone a real motorcycle.

 _I gotta wing it then…_

Ford pushed a button and it then starts hovering over the street. Ford gasped as he almost lost his balance to cause the whole thing to tip over. He kept pushing buttons, hoping that it will start moving. There was a shout from behind him, a monster that resembled a giant sack of flesh with eyes and a mouth, it screaming at him in some language. This had to be its vehicle…

Cold panic began to pump through Ford's body, causing him to desperately trying to find a way to get this thing moving. As the creature came closer the more Ford's heart pounded painfully in his chest. He cussed under his breath as the vehicle still wasn't moving. The creature was about three feet away, it screeching loudly, it attracting other monsters in the area. With one last hope of desperation, Ford twisted forward on the handle bars where his one hand was resting.

The vehicle launches forward, causing Ford's head to be whipped back painfully. His surroundings became a blur as he moved through the streets, passing pedestrians precariously close. Finally on the opposite handle bar that he held for dear life, he twisted it and the vehicle came to a screeching halt, causing him to flip over the handle bars and land on his back onto the concrete.

Ford groans in pain as he slowly gets up. The thing he was driving was still revving, making its high pitch whine still. Ford didn't have time to think about how badly he was going to bruise in the morning, he had to keep moving to get the research. Even though Layla would tell him to just leave her and forget her to save himself, he can't bring himself to do it.

Layla Bartek may be an alcoholic, she may be crude and even rude at times, she may have the tendency to openly speak her mind about every subject they talk about, and she may be a tad annoying with her secrets. But there were the good things about her, like her humming when she was happy, or how she would absently sing if she thought she was truly by herself, and he could honestly say that he enjoyed her speaking her mind as it does open his thoughts up more.

That and he can't leave her alone after her sixteen years of solitude in this strange world.

Ford hops back onto the bike and slowly takes off, testing out the controls. After a few minutes of getting used to everything, he took out his instructions and a map he had found earlier. He found where his location was easily, and he made a mental route in his head where to go, seemingly memorizing the map and instructions. He takes off once again, the world becoming a blur of black, gray, and rain.

He drove for a few hours, his body soaked to the bone and the chill ripping through him. His body trembled and shivered, freezing, seeing frost glittering on the sleeves of his coat. He couldn't take anymore and decided to pull over, trying to desperately find anything to warm him up. Ford went into alleyways, feeling up the walls for any sign of Layla's secret alcoves, finding none. Ford was glad that he had his bag still with the blankets, thinking that he could just find an abandoned building or something to rest for the night or until he was warm enough to continue.

As Ford dragged his vehicle around in search of a warm place, he heard the familiar high shrill of Bill Cipher. His blood ran cold.

 _"_ _There has been activity here in sub dimension 89, and I have a good feeling it is my good ol' friend, Stanford Pines."_ Bill says, his voice piercing into Ford's eardrums. _"So remember, if you find him, bring him to me! And if you see a female meat bag like him named Layla Bartek, bring her as well!"_ the message ends with his cackling, something the vibrated Ford's very bones.

Ford ended up finding a small dead end alley way that had a door leading inside an old building. He dragged his little belongings inside with him, finally taking shelter from the rain. His chest ached and burned as he breathed, his body throbbed painfully, and he felt as if his fingers were going to fall off from frost bite. Ford managed to find small amounts of debris, using the lighter her had to start a small fire, him sighing with relief that the tiny flames brought some sort of warmth to him.

He felt his body give up on him, his eyes closing as he fell asleep. He was tense though, feeling as if he was sleeping with one eye open. Ford felt as if he only slept for a few minutes, seeing the light peeking through the old boarded up windows. He curses as he gets up from his curled position, his body aching terribly.

Ford drags himself and his few items out of the building he was in, squinting at the harsh light that greeted him. He gets on the vehicle he had stolen and started moving once again, putting the goggles over his eyes to protect from dust and debris that was whipping past him. Before he had left he checked his map and instructions again to make sure he was still going the correct way, thinking that he was actually making good time.

He follows his map and instructions, seeing that he was approaching a very large part of a city. It looked as if the residents were considered a high class or middle class, their clothing odd looking and uncomfortable. Ford pulls into an alley way and hides the vehicle, thinking that he should continue on foot.

He pulls the goggles over his eyes and lifts the collar of his jacket to obscure the lower portion of his face. Even though he wore his solid black gloves and these other creatures of many extra appendages, he hid his hands in his coat, knowing that him being a human with six fingers on each hand was a dead giveaway of who he was.

According to his map the research that was Dr. Bartek's was in a science facility. When he approached the building it was bright white, practically radiating its own light. It was tall with many sharp and pointed edges, looking more triangular than a traditional rectangle building. Glass windows decorated the surface, but instead of seeing people inside it was like a TV screen showing scenery of the town and nature.

"What the hell…?" Ford gasped as he saw the building, him just peaking his eyes out of the goggles to get a better look. "This… looks complicated…" He had no idea how he would break in, steal the research about portals, and then leave unscathed.

 _I have to at least try…_

He decided to lay low until the dimension's sun set in the distance, making what was a bright yellow sky look like a disgusting dark green. Now that it was dark he figure he could sneak better as he was wearing all black. He knew that there had to be security here as well, so once he was inside he had to still be careful.

Ford had found a rock that was extremely heavy in his hand. He approaches the main double, glass doors that led into the building, seeing a window next to the door. Ford uses the rock and smashes the window, unlocking the door from the inside. Thinking that was too easy there had to be something else… which there was.

He was in the foyer of the building, another set of main doors in front of him. The doors were made of some type of metal, glowing buttons decorating it and a large panel with see through buttons and screens… something he had heard called a _hologram_ before.

There was a code to get in…

"Damn it…!" Ford hissed underneath his breath as he let his hands hover above the panel. The buttons were a bunch of symbols he had no idea what they were. Sweat glistened on his face, him starting to panic. How was he going to get in?

"Hey dumb nuts, if you're finished with being an-an i-idiot then s-step aside s-so I can get in, shit for brains!" a voice bellowed from behind Ford, causing him to spin around, his gun in hand and aimed at the stranger in front of him.

The stranger had bluish looking hair that was brushed back, his with grayish looking skin, a white lab coat with a blue shirt with black pants and shoes. The man had his arms crossed and his unibrow cocked up like he was annoyed and impatient. The man was even tapping his foot impatiently.

"O-oh look at you! A-a tough guy huh?" The man snapped, taking something out of his inside pocket. Ford tensed up, thinking it was going to be a gun. The man pulls out a silver flask and takes a long swig from it, some dribbling form the edge of his mouth. "I-if you're done being a dumb j-jackass, m-move aside!" he then proceeded to stagger towards Ford, like he was drunk, and he pushed him away and began pressing the buttons at a high speed. Soon the door in front of them was opened.

"W-wait… _what?_ " Ford sputtered. "How did you do that?"

The man turns around and rolls his eyes. "Duh I know the damn passcode, idiot." He curtly sys. "I've b-been-" he then belches in the middle of his sentence but continues on like it never happened, "-s-staking out this place for m-months, and I'm not gonna l-let another s-stupid human like you get in the way!"

It was Ford's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Staked out…? Are you trying to get Dr. Bartek's portal research too…?"

The man gives a hard glare. "Dr. Bartek? That asshole _stole my_ research for weapons, took himself and his stupid kid in these s-stupid d-d-dimensions, got h-himself caught, them t-t-taking my and his research, and now they're t-t-trying to build a p-portal for a crazy f-f-flying _chip!_ " He screams, him getting angrier and angrier.

"Wait… _you're_ research?" Ford shrieks. "Who the _hell are you?_ "

"Rick Sanchez, Earth D-Dimension C-137." The man replied, him not stuttering his words as much. "Now how the shit hell are y-you?"

"Dr. Stanford Pines…" Ford replies cautiously. "But… Ford is fine for short." He then lowers his gun, not seeing how this tall skinny man was going to be much of a threat.

Rick tilts his head. "Heh… I think I visited a dimension that had t-t-that name." he then shrugs. "W-whatever, I g-g-got-" he belches again, "-to get m-my s-shit back." He runs through the opening of the door, Ford following right behind.

"How the hell did you research interdimensional portals?" Ford questions Rick, his response being an annoyed groan.

"L-look dumbass, I'm just trying to get my shit back and s-save my own a-ass here!" Rick hisses angrily. "I-I d-don't need you riding on my asshole!"

Ford raises his hands in surrender and slowly backs away. It seemed this man was insane, but if he knew what he was doing then Ford might as well follow. The two were walking through the empty hallways, Ford thinking that why it was so empty.

"If you're w-wondering w-why it's empty, it's because I used an n-n-neurotoxin and they are slowly having th-their brains melted." Rick says suddenly, almost like reading Ford's mind.

 _What the hell is wrong with this guy?_

There was a sudden chatter and the sound of guns being cocked. Both the men stopped and threw their hands into the air. They slowly turned around to see fully armored monsters wearing some kind of masks.

"O-oh…" Rick whispers, almost in shock, "I-I d-d-didn't take into a-account that they would have those."

Ford just narrows his eyes and his face slacked into an annoyed expression. His goggles were forced off his face and one of the creatures pointed at him. He knew they recognized him from his wanted poster.

"W-whoa sci-fi, w-what d-d-d-did you do?" Rick asks him, kind of impressed.

"I made a bad deal with the crazy flying chip…" Ford responds solemnly. "And now I knew I made a bad deal with Magum…"

"Th-that guy is a-an asshat." Rick stutters as his hands were forced behind his back, same with Ford's. "H-he owns this place."

Ford's blood ran cold. "Wait… _what the hell did you say?_ " his voice was very low and was practically dripping with venom.

Rick's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden aggression from Ford. "I-I said that Magum _owns_ this place… he's a scientific researcher… b-b-but I k-know he's got a s-secret section for the p-portal shit, d-death rays… yadda yadda yadda…"

Ford's cold blood then boils with furious rage. "That _bastard_!" Ford screams as they were being dragged away. "He _tricked me!_ "

"He's a d-demon…" Rick points out. "W-what did you expect? Rainbows? Cookies?" he then really thinks about something. "Personally I-I'd take hard whiskey…"

"He's probably gonna send me to Bill Cipher… he was working for him… or with him?" Ford admits, questioning who Magum really was. "But what does he want with Layla…?"

Rick scoffs, "That g-guy is messed up." The two were thrown into a cell, one of the creatures saying something that Ford only recognized as Bill's and Magum's names. "H-he's sees her as a-an exotic prize. I-Ive been around these dimensions when she was younger, and let me t-tell you, sh-she was like h-his property, and they w-w-were a thing." He gets his flask out again and drinks from it.

"Property?" Ford echoes. He then remembers her panicked expression when they were first caught, or how she was crying.

 _I'm a female human…_

Her statement echoed in his mind, and it made his stomach churn. No wonder why she hated Magum so much…

"Damn it… God _damn it!_ " Ford screams, throwing his fists against the black bars of their cell.

 _Layla… I'm sorry…_

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello everyone! So, I didn't write a POV for Stan in this chapter because right now this is the beginning, and it's literally the same thing over and over of him opening and working the Shack, then working on the portal at night. So, once we get further into the story he'll come up once events start happening, like his first Summerween or the Woodstick Festival, or even the Pioneer Day. His POV will come back.

And I've always headcanoned that Rick and Ford knew each other at some point, because the show's creators are actually best friends and put references in each their shows to the other. So, I thought maybe Rick would be funny to have.

Thank you for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	9. Escape

**Chapter 9: Escape**

Ford sits on the floor of his cell, flicking open the lighter he had taken form Stanley when they were fighting before this whole interdimensional mess started, it making small clicking sounds as he did so.

Rick sat on the floor by a different wall, his flask in hand and was drinking what seemed like an endless supply of alcohol. The man barley spoke, him just drinking away and randomly passing out. Sometimes he'd wake up say something about "Beth" and fall back asleep.

As the more Ford clicked the lighter the angrier he got. Magum had tricked him, he tricked him to keep Layla for some reason. She was the daughter of the scientist that made a deal with Bill Cipher, but if Magum hated Bill and wanted to rule the universe and multiverse, why would he make a deal with the triangular demon?

"H-h-h-h-hey, sci-fi," Rick mutters from his side of the cell. He had his flask in hand and was offering it to Ford. "W-w-w-w-want some?" he asked.

"How the hell do you have that much alcohol in that damn thing?" Ford exclaims, him actually taking it.

"Eh… stole it from one of those shops in these dimensions." Rick replied nonchalantly, giving a shrug. Ford had taken a swig of the flask, him making a scrunched up face. Rick laughs, "Yeah, pretty strong right? Strongest in the multiverse."

"How did you get here anyway, Rick?" Ford asks him. "You said Dr. Bartek stole your research… so…?"

Rick glances away, taking his flask back and putting it into his lab coat. "I knew Dr. Bartek when I was a teenager, like an apprenticeship of some kind. I was working with him about this so… I memorized a few things about seeing how to find the secret portals to other dimensions and pocket dimensions.

"He didn't like it that I was getting ahead of myself thus getting ahead of him… what scientist wanted to be beaten by a fourteen-year-old at the time? I sure the hell wouldn't…" Rick finished. "Between what I've been doing, I'd come back to these dimensions to get my research back, and if I found Bartek on the way… well, I'd punch him." He actually didn't stutter at all, probably because he was trying to be calm and not alert anyone.

Ford then leans on the wall. "I got here because I built an interdimensional portal… then I fought with my twin brother and I got knocked in on accident…" he then whispers.

Rick scoffs, "H-h-h-hey! I-I-I-I didn't ask f-f-f-or your l-l-l-life story here!" he then gets up and walks to the bars, tapping on them for them to make a clang. "I g-g-g-gotta get out of here… I got a daughter at home that'd I'd l-l-l-like to see…"

Ford nearly falls over to the side. " _You_ have a _daughter_?" Ford shouts in disbelief.

Rick raises his unibrow. "O-o-o-oh, I can't have a k-k-kid?!" he shouts back. "Yes I h-h-h-have a daughter! Her n-n-n-name is Beth!" he then goes into his lab coat pocket and takes out a small folded up photograph. He shows it to Ford, the picture being a baby blonde girl with a pink bow in her hair.

"She's cute…" Ford comments, actually thinking that the little girl was adorable.

"Yeah, thank God she don't look a d-d-d-d-damn thing like me." Rick laughs. He then puts the photo back. "A more than enough reason for me to get out of here…"

Ford then clicks his lighter again, a small spark coming from it. It had been out of fluid weeks ago, but the sparks could still be used for a fire.

 _A fire…_

"Hey, Rick," Ford says softly, trying to not be too loud.

"W-what, Sci-fi?" Rick replies, his voice annoyed.

"Do you have any paper on you and some kid of spray…?" Ford then asks.

Rick fully turns around from the bars. His eyes went to the lighter in Ford's hands, then a devious grin crosses his features. "Oh, I got something…" he quickly says as he goes into his lab coat once again and grabs his flask. He also managed to get what looked like a birthday candle. Why he had a candle, Ford couldn't guess the reason.

"What's your flask-" Ford began to say but he abruptly stops. "Oh… I see your plan here."

"A-and I see y-y-yours!" Rick comments excitedly. "Okay, y-y-y-you cause a ruckus, a-a-a-and I'll light the candle and drench t-the poor b-b-b-bastard with the alcohol and throw the f-f-flame at him." He then belches. "We j-j-just gotta make sure h-h-h-he opens the door."

Ford nods and begins banging on the bars loudly. "Hey! Hey! I want my one phone call here! Isn't that what you're supposed to do?" Ford screams. Rick scoffs behind him as he was clicking the lighter to try to light the candle. "Hey! Uh… bug face! Oh… that's a terrible insult is it… that's just your natural looks…"

Rick then mutters, "Maybe _I_ should've been the one to do the distraction…"

It didn't matter who did it, one of the guards was coming over. The monster did indeed have what Ford called a "bug face", it looked similar to a praying mantis. Like according to plan it unlocked the door and was approaching inside. However, Rick cursed under his breath, him not quite getting the candle lit.

Ford had to buy him some time. Without thinking, he just socked the creature in its mandible, causing a sickened crunch. The monster screeched loudly and dropped its weapon and even the keys. Ford makes a dive for the weapon, it looked like a futuristic rifle that was black with intense bright, glowing green accents on the weapon. Rick then finally throws the alcohol onto the creature, even though his candle wasn't lit, and Ford pulls the trigger.

A bright blue ball of plasma shoots from the gun, it hitting the alien creature in its chest. From the alcohol it bursts into flames, causing sickening snaps and crackles as the flames burned its exoskeleton. After within minutes, the body of the guard falls to the ground, crumping within itself, its body cracking apart into pieces on the floor.

Rick tosses the lighter back to Ford, who caught it with one hand. The man then runs and grabs the keys and keycards from the guard and makes a run for it.

"HEY! RICK!" Ford screams in anger and he chases the odd man. He followed Rick, who got stopped but another guard, but he managed to kick the creature's legs to cause it to fall to the ground and grab its weapon, shooting it point blank into the creatures head. He continues to run.

Rick manages to get to a door that required one of the keys and he struggles for a moment to find the right one. This gave Ford time to catch up to Rick, him panting as his adrenaline started to decline.

"Hey, what the hell was that about!?" Ford demands, using a free hand to gesture angrily.

"T-t-t-told ya, Sci-fi, I g-g-gotta get home." Rick tells him, once again his voice just sound like he didn't care. He then finds the right key and the door slides open, him running through it without giving Ford a chance to even reply. Ford follows.

The room the entered was massive, it a sparkling white, giving the illusion that everything was sterile and clean. Tables littered with odd looking gadgets and mechanical parts. Rick had found a safe in the corner, thinking that's where the research about the portals would be. He busts it open using the weapon he had taken from one of the guards and searches through the documents. Rick finally pulls out a stack of papers and goes to one of the tables.

"That's… the research...?" Ford gasps.

"Yep." Rick was already using whatever scrap metal he could find and was building something that looked similar to a gun. He used a lot of white, the main part looking like a solid black, the handle slanted in a forty degree angle in the shape of cylinder. It honestly looked like he was building a handheld vacuum cleaner. Rick adds a screen and some kind of dial, then he finally adds a tall dome with some kind of energy in it, it glowing a bright lime green.

"Don't you think… that was a little too easy?" Ford points out. "I mean… why would Magum leave something as big about the technology to portals in plain sight, and Layla told me her father puts his research in ciphers…"

Rick raises his completed invention. "Well, one, these are actually _my notes_ from w-w-when I was with Bartek, I-I-I-I paraphrased a lot of it, which i-i-is probably why they have mine out, they th-think they can read it. M-my paraphrasing is my o-o-own code." He then gestures to the tables, now Ford looking closely seeing it as failed experiments.

"And why it was so e-e-easy to get…" Rick continues with a shrug. "I don't have a clue, Sci-fi."

 _"_ _Oh, but I have an excellent explanation."_ A lowly, slithery sounding voice says behind them. Slowly they both turn around, seeing Magum in his translucent glory, a sinister smile on his face.

"Magum!" Ford screams, his face contorted with anger. "You lying, double crossing, bastard!" Ford then raises his gun, aiming for Magum.

 _"_ _Are you sure you want to do that, Stanford Pines?"_ Magum smoothly asks, his grin widening. He then snaps his fingers, someone appearing next to him. That someone was Layla.

Layla was stripped of her black trench coat and whatever dark shirt and pants she had been wearing. Her outfit was replaced with her wearing a metallic looking bra and matching panties, her skin completely bare, and her wearing knee high metallic colored boots. She looked highly uncomfortable, her body covered with long lines of thick scars from the years of on the run and fighting for survival. Her jet black hair looked a lot longer now that it was cleaned, it going down to past her waist, it being the only sense of a shield for her.

"Damn, Layla Bartek, gotta say, puberty did you right and you got hot." Rick whistles, giving her a glance over.

Ford was the complete opposite and averted his eyes, his face a deep crimson as he tried to not stare.

"Rick Sanchez!?" Layla screeches. "You're here too!? GOD DAMN IT!"

Rick give a grin and clicks his tongue. "Can't get rid of me, Layla!"

"Aren't you _married, Rick!?_ " Ford yells at him. " _And you have a daughter yourself!"_

"Oh, what sane woman married and bred with you!?" Layla adds in disbelief.

Magum then snaps his fingers in anger, red fire surrounding both Ford and Rick. _"Enough of your annoying human banter!"_ he snarls. He then puts a tight hand around Layla's forearm and makes her stand in front of him. _"Do you still want to shoot, Stanford?"_

Ford lowers the gun, his gaze was still averted. Even if had been looking dead on to the two he still would've lowered it. He then drops it, raises his hands, and kicks the gun to Magum. Magum then snaps his fingers and the crackles into dark red flames.

 _"_ _I made it so easy so I can see what Bill Cipher was dealing with,"_ Magum then says in his smooth tone. _"I may not like that damn triangular bastard, but he and I stroke a deal._

 _"_ _He lets me keep Layla if I deliver you, Stanford, and a completed portal device."_

Rick then interjects, "W-w-w-w-wait a sec!" he raises his arms in a stopping motion, the portal gun still in hand. "You're giving up power, power over the entire universe and multiverse, complete domination, for a _chick_?!" he then gestured to Layla. "The girl is hot but, _damn!_ W-w-w-what your d-d-d-d-demonic boner is t-t-t-taking the b-b-b-blood from your brain?!"

Layla makes an odd sound, her definitely uncomfortable. Ford gives an odd glare at Rick. Even Magum was giving Rick a strange look.

"H-h-h-hey, th-that's how I'm married, damn it!" Rick then snaps. "Being a man _sucks_ with th-that kind of shit!"

 _"_ _Give me the portal device, Rick Sanchez."_ Magum orders, holding out a hand. His veins and arteries showed his blood flowing, it looking almost like sand flowing down from an hour glass.

"And y-y-y-you can go _screw yourself!_ " Rick shouts as he then goes into his lab coat with his free hand and grabs a small looking plasma pistol. He then aims at the light fixtures above Magum's head and pulls the trigger multiple times. The lights go out, but Magum's translucent body glowed in the dark. His normally blank white eyes were now glowing a furious red.

With Magum distracted by Rick, Ford manages to slither away into the dark, hearing the blast and the light beams of Rick's gun. With the small amount of light he saw it being reflected off of Layla's clothing. Slowly, he makes his way to her, and when he does he grabs her left hand. A hard slap to his face causes him to groan.

 _"_ _Ford!?"_ Layla hisses.

"Yeah… ow…" Ford replies, using his free hand to rub his face. "We got to get out of here, we got to help Rick-"

"No we are not helping him!" Layla growls. "He is a complete asshole! Besides he's fine!"

Rick then blasts the portal gun behind him, a huge green circle hitting the wall. The room become illuminated with a lime green light, the portal swirling with a dark green. With the light, Ford makes a grab for Rick's paraphrased portal notes, and stuffs them into his trench coat.

"See ya, Magum!" Rick jeers a laugh as he slowly backs up into the portal. "Say hi to Bartek in hell for me when ya get there! And that damn flying tortilla chip too!" he makes a final blast at Magum with his laser pistol, Magum deflecting it with his fire. Rick steps through the portal, it closing just as Magum got to it.

The room was dark once again except for Magum's glowing form. Enraged, he looks around, trying to find his prize and the package to Cipher.

But they were both gone.

He screams with a furious rage, the room around him bursting into intense dark, red flames.

* * *

Ford and Layla managed to get out of the building, both panting from their running.

Before they had left Ford had snagged some of the scraps of metal and parts that Rick had been working with before along with the weapon Rick had taken from the guard he had killed. Once the two were outside, Ford shrugs off his trench coat and gives it to Layla, his gaze still averted from her.

Layla takes it and puts it on, feeling instantly warm. "Thanks…" she whispers as soon as they were in the alleyway that ford had his stolen vehicle stashed.

"Yeah… no problem." He replies to her absently, him trying to think of a plan on what they should do next.

"Why… weren't you looking at me before?" Layla then asks him curiously.

Ford turns his head to her with a confused look on his face. "What do you mean?" he questions.

"I mean, Rick was staring, but you weren't." she points out.

"Because that's rude." Ford says simply. "A woman shouldn't be forced to wear something like that. She should only do it if she feels comfortable herself or do it by her husband."

Layla gives a laugh, "You're very old fashioned aren't you?"

"Grew up in New Jersey raised by a phone physic and a tough pawn shop owner. Dad was a little strict and Ma always made sure my brothers and I were respectful to women." He tells her. He gets on his transportation device and starts the engine.

"You did mention about you being a twin before…" Layla recalls, her getting onto the back of it, wrapping her arms around his waist to support herself.

"Yeah… I have a younger twin brother…" Ford barely whispers, his voice taking on a sad tone. He then starts driving, him at a decent pace so no one would chase him thinking he had something important.

Layla was silent for a moment before asking, "What's his name?"

"... Stanley."

"So… you two are _Stanford and Stanley Pines?_ " Layla laughs, her being baffled.

"Once again, that was from my dad." Ford explains, rolling his eyes. "He's not a very creative man… I mean, he did give my older brother the name 'Sherman'. It could've been worse."

Layla was silent once again for a few minutes. They drove in silence until Ford finds the one building he was in for when he spent the night alone. He stops the vehicle and turns it off, Layla removing her arms from his waist, it now feeling a cold without the warmth of her arms.

They get inside and Ford sets up a small fire. He unrolls his bedding stuff and offers it to Layla, who gives a soft smile and sits on the blankets. She puts her hands up to the small fire to warm herself up.

"We'll find you some new clothes tomorrow." Ford interrupts the silence. "That can't be comfortable."

"Well… the clothing is actually comfy, it's just… not my taste." She tells him. Then she asks Ford, "Does your twin brother have polydactyl too?"

"No." Ford's answer was short and curt.

"So… definitely fraternal twins then…" she assumed.

"Yes." Again, short and curt. "But… we look eerily similar still. As kids all Stanley had to do was put on my glasses and one of my coats to hide his hands and he could pass as me." He adds softly, a smile playing on his lips in the memory.

"Are you two close?" Layla asks him gently. "He must be worried about you…"

"We _were_ close." Ford says sourly. His tone suggested he didn't want to talk about it.

Layla blinks her electric blue eyes a few times. "Oh… okay. Um, I'm just gonna go to sleep… you can wake me in a couple of hours and I'll take over…"

"Okay."

"Night, Ford."

"Night, Layla."

"Oh, and Ford?"

"Yeah...?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Layla…"

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello everyone! I tried to make this chapter longer and exciting! Tried is the key word here. Like I said, this story is a little harder to write than "Cipher's Reign" and "After Cipher's Reign".

Also... there may be a short story in the future specifically about Layla, but only if you guys are interested.

Thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	10. Layla's Past

**Chapter 10: Layla's Past**

The next morning when Ford woke up, his head was aching terribly, noticing that inside the warehouse that he and Layla were in was covered in a light frost.

Layla was sitting by the fire as close as she could, her body shivering violently in the cold even with the Ford's coat wrapped around her. Her teeth chattered as she glanced over to Ford, also pointing at her head stating she has a headache too from the metal reacting to the cold.

With a grunt, Ford gets up and wanders over to her, taking a seat next to her to warm up his hands. Layla's hands were by the fire too, and it was the first time he had seen her hands bare without her gloves. Thick white scars licked across them, as he multiple times with knives, and the crisscrossed. The parts of her left hand that had only the partial appendages from her symbachydactyly had thick scars as if she had been burned before.

Layla notices his glance, but doesn't move her hands away. "A lot of things have happened during my sixteen years in the multiverse…" she barely whispers, her voice hoarse from not talking for so long before. "I've been hunted, stabbed, shot, beaten, burned, and oh so many more things while here…"

Ford gives her a sympathetic look, his hands still by the small flames of the fire. "Who did it to you?" he asks slowly.

"A lot of things…" she responds. "But mainly Magum." She then wraps the coat tighter around her, as if it was a security blanket.

"Rick mentioned that you and Magum… were a thing at one point?" Ford says, his voice low and slow, like he didn't want to know the answer but out of curiosity had to ask anyway.

Layla sighs, her eyes closed. She then began, "When I was about… I don't know, seventeen or something, I had heard about this group that was against Bill Cipher. I figured, 'Hey, maybe they can help me find my dad and get us home!'." She shakes her head at the memory. "When I went to the recruitment meetings that were secret at certain bars and stuff, I met Magum, who was the leader. He told me he had never seen a human female before in these parts of the multiverse, so he told me to join him.

"And I did… for the first time since being thrown into a different dimension I had great shelter, food, something to drink, a place to clean myself, and a warm bed… It was like a prayer coming to life. At first everything was fine, I learned to fight better, stealth, defense, weapons, even crafting some things. I even went on missions to steal plans from Cipher to bring back. Magum was happy at my process and he had invited me to join his private quarters… and it just went to hell from there."

Ford swallows in discomfort at the touchy subject. He knew she hated Magum with a burning passion, but her end statement confirmed his suspicious on their relationship.

"He became super possessive, dominant, abusive, the list goes on, Ford." Layla continues, her voice rising an octave in emotion. "Even if I left the room for a moment I'd be punished for leaving his side. Because of being with him all the time I learned that the group was just as damn bad as Cipher and just wanted to rule the whole universe and multiverse… and I knew I had to leave. Five years plotting to escape, five years actually attempting to escape… it all went by so slow…"

He then puts a hand on Layla's shoulder. "Well, you're not in that situation anymore… we got each other now, we'll keep each other safe." He sincerely tells her, a small smile on his face.

Her eyes flooded with tears. She does a sniffle and wipes her eyes with the oversized sleeves of the coat. "Thank you… thank you for that, Stanford." She tearfully says, her face taking on a slight pink blush.

Ford then stands up, offering her a hand. "Ready to get new clothes?" he offers. She takes his hand, her three fingered left hand to his six-fingered left hand. Ford hoists her up with little to no effort, him becoming much more athletically stronger since being there.

"Ready," she nods.

Together they drove through the city of the dimension they were in, trying to find a spot where a portal naturally opened. If this was Magum's home dimension, they the two of them had to leave as soon as they could. Layla points out one and Ford drives through, the world shimmering as he passed through. He screeches to a halt, trying to gather his new surroundings.

Around them looked like some kind of farmland, the grass looked like a wheat yellow from lack of rain. The sky was clear of any clouds, it looking as blue as the Earth's skies. In the distance there was a fairly large, dull red barn, it looking like it hasn't been kept up in quite some time. Next to it was another building half of its size, looking like a two story farmhouse.

"What the hell…?" Ford gasps. "H-how is this possible?"

"Some dimensions do have an Earth feel to it… but it's not really Earth." Layla explains. "For all we know the rain is acid to our skins, or the crops are poisonous to us unless we do something special to them." He felt her shrug her shoulders, her arms tightening around him as he moves forward.

They get to the farm house and Ford knocks on the door. After a minute of no response, he throws his shoulder against the door for it to crack open. He peeks his head in, his weapon in hand, all while his brown eyes darted around to look for a threat.

"Clear." He states as he fully goes inside the home. Layla follows close behind, her electric blue eyes looking around.

"Looks like someone hasn't lived here in a while…" Layla comments. She drags a finger across a table the decorated the hallway they were in, thick dust piling onto her finger.

Dust was covering everything, from the walls to the counters, even the air felt like it was dusty. Their footsteps were seen on the floor as if they were walking through snow, dust bunnies forming as they lifted their feet. Ford checked every room in the farmhouse, finding no signs of life of either friend or foe.

"I wonder what happened..." Ford whispers, him looking around what appeared to be a kitchen he had wandered in.

"Who knows?" Layla exasperates. "I'm gonna go upstairs and see if there is running water or something like it so I can bathe… I still feel the way he touched me." Layla gives a shudder and heads upstairs, finding a wooden staircase that was by the north window.

Ford decides to fully explore the home. The house was fully furnished, it was just all dusty and dirty. It honestly reminded him of his grandmother's house in New York… the more he looked around, the more it actually _did_ remind him of his grandmother's home. His heart racing, he goes into one of the drawers in the kitchen that he knew his grandmother had kept a copy of his grandfather's funeral paperwork.

He opens the drawer, seeing the name of his grandfather on a stack of yellowed paper.

"What that f-?!" Ford was cut off by the sound of Layla's scream. "Layla!?" he shouts. He then runs up the same stairs that she had disappeared up to. His gun was in hand, if she was looking for a bathroom before, and if this place was what he remembered, he knew exactly where he was going. He kicked down the door, his gun pointed ahead of him.

Layla once again screams, but this time at Ford and she threw something at him. Whatever she threw was heavy and hurt his nose, him groaning in pain. When he looked forward he saw Layla… but she had nothing on. Immediately his face turns red and spins around and runs out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"I am _so sorry!"_ Ford apologizes through the door. "I heard you scream and thought you were in trouble!"

"It was a damn _spider_!" Layla's voice replied muffled through the door.

Ford rolls his eyes, even though she couldn't see it. "Well, you made it sound like one of those cheesy horror movies with a killer about to stab you through the shower curtain!" he counters. He then hears the water begin to run, him sighing. He closes his eyes and when he opens them the whole scenery changed.

Instead of reminding him of his grandmother's house, the hallway he was in looked more like a cabin. In a way it reminded him of his house in Gravity Falls, except this one seemed extremely small compared to his home. He stands up, slowly walking around. Ford ended up in a room that belonged to a teenager, the room covered in a thick layer of dust. On the bed however was a set of new clothing that was about Layla's size, a long black trench coat, a dark purple sweater, black pants, and a pair of black riding boots.

"What the fricken hell is going in this damn place!?" Ford shouts, his hands to his brown hair.

First the place looked like the home he enjoyed going to as a child, now this house looked more like probably Layla's childhood home. The door creaks open behind him and Ford spins around, Layla having a thick towel wrapped around her hair and another around her body, his trench coat gripped tightly in her hand that was holding the towel. Her eyes widened, looking around the room, her barely registering that Ford was even there, but she still tossed him his coat without thinking.

"Why… why is my _room here_?" she gasps, her hand going to small wooden chest that was at the end of the bed. She opens it and inside was a bunch of old stuffed animals and what looked like old photo albums.

"W-we should get out of here…" Ford insists, his voice shaking, putting on his trench coat. Now the room was shifting again. The bed became replaced with a bunk bed, the top bunk neat whilst the bottom was messy. A blanket was folded over a rope line, a sign taped to the red plaid called "Fort Stan". There was a piece of paper taped onto the wall that had a painting of one hand with five fingers and the other with six, the five fingered one being labeled "Stanley" while the six fingered one was labeled "Stanford". Ford's eyes widened when his childhood setup of his and Stanley's room was, one of what he considered was the happiest times of his life. Even the walls had Stanley's odd doddles next to Ford's more sophisticated drawings with lists of facts about the supernatural.

Layla's new change of clothing still stayed on the bed, but on the bottom bunk. She snags them and backs up to Ford. "Do you know what the actual fricken hell is going on here!?" she hissed at him.

"Not a damn clue…" Ford replies, seeing the room shift again. This time it looked like the science fair back in high school…

The one that Stanley had screwed up Ford's future…

"We're getting out of here." Ford stoically says to Layla, gripping her free hand and dragging her out of the room. She continued to see the room shift, seeing how there was a brilliant science project but then it shifted to a ruined one.

Once again the hallway had changed, but Ford drags Layla to where she had showered and puts her in there. "Get dressed and we are leaving ASAP," he orders, his voice strained. "We need to start moving. You said we have to find your father's research right?" Right as he was talking the door was slammed in his face and by the end of his last sentence Layla opens the door, her in the new clothes.

"Yeah…" Layla agrees. "My thing is though… how do I have clothes here?"

There was creak of floorboards, causing both Ford and Layla to spin around, Ford with his gun and Layla with a knife she had found in her coat. In front of them was a silver haired man with a long beard. He had dark blue eyes with thick glasses, him wearing a torn up brown overcoat, his shirt northing but black strings, and his pants and shoes were torn and muddy.

"Hello, Layla…" the man hoarsely whispered, his voice cracking with age.

Layla drops her guard with a gasp. "D-dad…?" she says in disbelief. "I-is that you…?"

"Dr. Bartek…?" Ford then mumbles. The man certainly looked completely different than the posters he had seen before.

"Ah… so you're Bill Cipher's new target, eh?" the old man asked. "Stanford Filbrick Pines…"

"Ford." Ford curtly tells him. "Just call me Ford."

"Why not 'Stan'?" the old man gave an amused smile.

"That's my twin's name." Ford answered, his voice rising in anger. Was this homicidal maniac of a scientist trying to push his buttons? "But… why the hell are you here?"

Dr. Bartek was looking at his daughter, his smile widening. "Ah, Layla, you look just like your mother…" he comments.

"I-I do?" Layla stammers. "You've never mentioned that before…"

"And to answer your question, _Ford_ , I built this place." Dr. Bartek absently said. "It's a hideaway in the pocket dimensions, very similar to Earth. The technology I found goes into your subconscious and arranges the room to what you want, or what you really wanted to see.

"Like Layla wanted to see her room in Gravity Falls. You wanted to see your and your brother's room. Then it goes and takes bad areas from your past and brings them to haunt you. Like I can see a room filled with corpses with amputated limbs. You… saw a science fair… and they say _I'm_ odd. I like to psychologically mess with people… and you seem to be an interesting case Ford."

Ford shouts, "How about you cut the bullshit, Dr. Bartek, just hand over your portal research so we make sure Cipher doesn't get it!" his face was red with frustration and anger, his blood boiling at the mention of the science fair.

Dr. Bartek tilts his head to the side. "I don't have it." He says simply, an insane smile crossing his face. "I haven't had them for sixteen years."

 _"_ _WHAT!?"_ Layla screeches, her going up to her father and grabbing him by his collar. _"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T HAVE THEM!?"_

The man laughs, his laugh sounding deranged. "I don't have them… do I have to spell it out for you, my dear girl?" he says to her, his voice taking on a condescension tone. "You're smarter than that Layla Amelia Bartek." She then let's go of him, him taking a step or two back. "That's a good girl… but I've made my progress on my research…" he continues.

" _What_ research!?" Ford demands, him raising his gun slowly at the old man. He notices Layla's eyes plead to not do that, so he lowers the gun.

Dr. Bartek then reaches into his overcoat and grabbed a vial. The vial had a pale green liquid in it. It honestly looked radioactive… Ford's stomach flips uneasily, him having a dark feeling what he meant by research.

"Dad…" Layla says lowly. "What did you do…?"

"I _found_ it, Layla!" Dr. Bartek's shouts with insane joy. "It took years… and a lot of those monsters and even humans I had sent here… but I _did_ it!" his daughter looks at him, completely frightened. "This… this can rearrange your genetic code, it can activate and deactivate codons and can help restore lost appendages, nervous tissues…" he then glances at Ford's hands, noting the extra finger on each hand. "It can even _remove_ extra appendages."

"How many people, humans and monsters, did you kill for this, Dad!?" Layla cries. "You said to me you weren't going to that anymore when I was a kid… but you did anyway! I bet Mom left because of _you_ not _me_! But why wouldn't she take me with her!? Why-?!" she then gasps and puts her left hand to her mouth. " _YOU KILLED HER DIDN'T YOU!? YOU BASTARD!"_

Dr. Bartek rolls his eyes, annoyed at the accusation. "So what if I did…? The anomaly runs on her side of the family, she was perfect genetic subject to see if I can help you. Layla, don't you see? I did this all for you, sweetheart!" His statement seemed a little forced at the end…

"You killed my mother!" Layla sobs. "You _lied_ to me saying she hated me because of my hand, that I wasn't normal!" she then grabs Ford's gun out of his hands, him making a grunt in surprise. "It wasn't for me you did this for… _who made you?!_ Was it Bill!? Was it part of your deal, you had to do this by a certain point or you'll die or something!? Were you doing this all to save _your own ass!?_ " she points the gun to her father's face. "Tell me the truth. _NOW!_ "

A deranged cackle escapes her father's mouth. "My dear, dear, Layla Amelia… you want the truth…? Maybe _I_ didn't like your anomaly… I blamed Gravity Falls for years with its weirdness factor, and your mother was born there, so of course the oddities and anomalies was bred into her DNA… But Bill Cipher… he opened my eyes… to cure _anything_! Cancer could disappear, AIDS, bodily defects… people can become _gods_ … the more I experimented, the more I felt like _God_! But why should I bless people with my research all willy nilly?! Bill Cipher had a plan… and he still does…

"He's right on how humans are pathetic sacks of flesh! HE WILL CLEANSE OUR WORLD AND MAKE IT BETTER! All I need to do to secure my future is hand you two in…!" he concludes as he presses a button that was on top of the vial's cap. The room then began glowing a red, a loud siren blaring. "Now you two freaks can die for all I care!" he then cackles an insane laugh, his body arching backwards in amusement.

Layla pulls the trigger and a blue plasma of energy goes through the insane man's head. The hole took out his eyes and nose, destroying part of the skull, metal and brains oozing over the edge of the wound. Dr. Bartek collapses onto his knees and falls to the side, his blood and brains spilling out.

The gun in Layla's hand shook and she drops it, it making a thud on the ground. Her breathing becomes ragged and tears were spilling over her eyes. She then collapses onto her knees, putting her hand on the red light tinted floor, her body shaking with sobs.

Layla Bartek had killed her own father, a man who flat out told her he never cared for her truly and saw her as more of an experiment from the start.

"Layla…" Ford whispers to her. "We need to go… we can't have Cipher catch us…"

She then stands up with a firm nod and she let him take her hand to drag her out of the house. As the two drove away from the building, Ford uses the mirrors to see that the building were giant warehouses, all part of Bartek's illusion. It was nothing but a giant trap.

Ford feels Layla tighten her arms around him, hearing her sob gently into his back. His heart ached for her, she didn't deserve what just happened…

And another reason to stop Bill Cipher, so he doesn't do this to another person again, to manipulate to rip apart a family just to get what he wanted.

* * *

 **A/N:** We found out a little bit what happened between Magum and Layla! And holy crap, Dr. Bartek... wow, I wrote him a little evilly...

Thank you for reading as always everyone!

~Skye Hendersen~


	11. The Gravity Falls Flower Festival

**Chapter 11: The Gravity Falls Flower Festival**

Another bill came in the mail that morning, for the gas this time, and with a groan Stan goes and goes over his profits from the week.

It seemed he had enough money to be able to pay the bill and to actually buy some decent food. His budgeting was cutting it close, but he had to keep the Shack open so he can continue to work on the portal to get Stanford back. With a sigh he signs the check, his heart skipping a beat when he wrote the name "Stanford Pines" on the line for the signature.

Even though he's been using his twin's identity, it still was odd when someone called him "Stanford" when he had been "Stanley" his entire life. Stan felt terrible that he was getting letters from his twin's college days of friends asking about his successes and asking about coming back to the college for some kind of reunion thing.

Stan can see it now if he actually went…

 _Oh, yeah, I built an interdimensional portal and got sucked into it and now I'm trapped. Yeah, I'm not Stanford, I'm his twin brother Stanley._ He rolls his eyes at his thought. _Yeah, I'd get sent into the nuthouse and never see the light of day again._

Stan puts the check into an envelope and writes the address of the company it needed to be paid to and sticks a stamp in the corner. He tosses the envelope to the small pile that had the other bills as well. Stan was getting better at paying bills since he is now getting a steady flow of money, and he usually goes and pays it the moment he gets the bill in the mail, he couldn't afford to miss the mortgage or anything because if the house gets taken away then so does Stanford…

With a sigh Stan puts on a light jacket since the spring air was still a little chilly in Oregon, and puts on his fez. He gathers up his small pile of the bills and leaves the house to get into his car to drive to the post office. At the post office people waved at him and said hello to him, so he waves back and says hello as well. He did end up paying extra for priority mail, even though the bills were due next week he wanted them there within a few days so there was absolutely no risk to losing the house or anything.

Once he returned back to the house, he noticed something was taped to his door, making him start to panic. Did he forget to pay a bill? Stan jumps out of his car that he has had since he was sixteen years old and runs to the door. There was a poster about a festival going on in Gravity Falls.

"'Join the fun at the annual _Gravity Falls Flower Day Festival_ to welcome the spring weather'." Stan read from the poster. He raised an eyebrow, thinking that it was a stupid thing. With a roll of his eyes he crumbles up the flier and goes inside the house, getting ready to open the gift shop.

As some customers came in, they were wearing flower crowns and pastel colored shirt with flowers on him. Stan tried extremely hard not to call them any names, but his filter was very little and a couple of times he actually did insult someone. They kept telling him to go to the Flower Festival, which was the reason why they came to Gravity Falls in the first place, and tell him to enjoy himself.

After the shop was closed he did debate whether or not to go to the Flower Festival. He then realized that Stanford probably never participated in these festivals because of his research…

Stan goes and gets dressed in a more casual outfit, a long sleeved white shirt and dark pants while wearing his fez and his spring jacket. He decides to walk to the festival, which was in Downtown Gravity Falls, seeing how there were flowers everywhere. Stands were selling bouquets, flower crowns, seeds for flowers, and even t-shirts. As he walked around he saw stands that had alcohol that was made with edible flowers, so he decides to buy one to try it and it was okay at best.

"That was a pansy ass drink…" he mutters when he finished it. He then read the bottle and it was indeed a pansy flower infused alcoholic drink. Stan narrows his eyes and his expression slacked. "Well… that happened…" he throws the bottle away.

As he walked around, he saw the people of Gravity Falls and the tourists walking around and enjoying the time. He actually saw a group of children that appeared to be siblings putting the flower crowns on each other's heads. In a way it made his heart ache seeing that, reminding him of his childhood with Stanford when they would paint each other's faces for Halloween.

Stan sighs and he walks by a stand that claimed that it sold flowers from around the around. The owner of the stand calls out to him, "Hello, stranger! Never seen you at this festival before!"

"Uh, yeah," Stan muttered. "Not my kind of thing."

"Where are you from?" the man asked.

"New Jersey," Stan responds.

The man then holds up a flower crown that was made with the New Jersey state flower. "How about you take this, on the house?" the man asked Stan.

Stan raises an eyebrow, a little skeptical. "What's the catch?" Stan demands.

"You wear it and have fun!" the man replies. "Honestly, you look like you could use a pick-me-up. You look like you just witnessed a death…"

"You have no idea…" Stan mumbles as he puts a hand to his face.

"Then take it," the man insisted. "Maybe it'll help you remind you of the good days…"

Reluctantly, Stan takes the flower crown and places it on his head and around the fez. The maroon and the purple complemented each other very nicely. Stan looks up at the crown, him with a small smile, the aroma of the flowers actually calming him a bit.

"Enjoy the rest of the Gravity Falls Flower Festival!" the man calls out.

"Yeah, you…" Stan was replying as he went to look at the stand. Except that the stand was gone, like it was never even there. "…too…" he finishes, his eyes widening. He then glances a round making sure that people weren't looking at him oddly for basically talking to himself. "This town… is crazy…" he then mutters as he walked away.

After the festivities were over, Stan heads back home. As he got ready for bed he put the flower crown on the bed post, where he could still smell it when he lied down. When he was falling asleep his mind was already echoing the laughter of his and Stanford's when they were children exploring the beach to find treasure, the faint smell of the viola sororia mixing in the with the faint sea salt air of the Atlantic Ocean.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry if the chapter was short, but I wanted a chapter dedicated to Stan and his first experience at a Gravity Falls festival. Also... if someone could draw Stan in the flower crown, that'd be stupendous! (if you want, you don't have to...)

Thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	12. Bartek's Research

**Chapter 12: Bartek's Research**

Ford had pulled over to one of the bars that was in a new dimension they hopped in, thinking that the two wanders could probably use something to eat and drink to distract them from recent events.

Layla looked over to the building, her gaze looking skeptical. "Why here, Ford?" she asks him.

"Well, I think we both need a pick-me-up to forget some things." Ford admits. Back in Gravity Falls he had his alcohol during his research times if things went wrong or another lead got away. "So, what are we waiting for?" he then asks casually as he gets up from the vehicle. He then walks over to the door and opens it. "Ladies first." He gestures.

"My, you were right, your mama raised a gentlemen," Layla says in a southern accent, even fanning herself with emphasis, causing her to laugh. When she went inside Ford followed close behind her, shutting the door behind them.

Inside it was pretty empty, only a few other patrons that looked like they were lizard-like people. Both Ford and Layla go and sit at the nearly empty bar, both asking for the strongest the alcohol that was available. The two companions took their shots and bottles of whatever they got.

"Welp, you two actually escaped, I'm impressed." A voice said next to them.

Ford spits out his drink, spraying the table in front of him. He glances to his right, seeing Rick there taking his own shot then pulling out his flask and taking a long swig from it. He puts it back into his lab coat, giving Ford a glare.

"What?" he snaps.

"R-Rick!?" Ford gasps as he jumps from his seat, Layla following suit. "I-I thought you went back home!?"

"Nah…" Rick mutters. "I kind of can't right now, the portal gun I made isn't fully functioning to get back to our home dimension. Some kind of boundary thing." He then explains as he pulled out his device. Rick sets it on the table, the green light glowing slightly. "I'll have to configure it again… I didn't have time with Magum get'n all in my business."

Layla went to touch it, but her hand was slapped as if she were a child. "OW! You ass!" Layla shouted.

"That's what my wife said to me!" Rick laughs, alcohol spilling over his mouth. "Hey-O!"

"Why did you even come back!?" Layla demands, her standing up, but her balance was a little off.

"Because I heard that you ran into Dr. Bartek," Rick explains, him taking another shot that was brought before him. "He's not such a great man that you thought he was, huh?" he asked gently, a little bit of sadness creeping in.

Layla steps back, almost tripping. "G-get out of here, you asshole!" she shouts at him.

"L-l-l-look, I know that g-g-guy was your dad, but come on, who was the _real_ asshole?" Rick points out angrily. "T-think about it! T-t-the man did unethical experiments, k-k-k-killed people, and he was about to hand off h-h-h-his one and only daughter to not one, but _two_ d-d-demonic entities!" he at this point had gotten up and with each word got closer and closer to Layla, causing her to get a panicked expression on her face. "So, I-I-I'll ask you again… who is the _real asshole here?_ "

"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT!?" Layla cries out, tears in her eyes. "You think I don't know? The man ever cared for me… not one bit… he killed my mom… he killed so many people… he put me in this damn dimension…! All these years I kept trying to justify him, all these years I kept trying to make him to be someone who really cared for me…!" Her tears started to fall, causing Ford to stand up from his seat to try to go comfort her. "So the real asshole is _me!_ Is that what you wanted to hear, Rick?! To hear that I was wrong to be a daughter that wanted to try and love her father despite all his faults!?"

Rick actually gives her a sympathetic look. "No, t-t-that's not what I wanted… f-f-far from it…" he admits. "I-I-I've had my bad share of Daddy I-Issues too, that's w-w-why I'm gonna try to make sure my d-d-daughter doesn't g-g-go though it too…" he sighs softly.

Ford hands Layla her glass that had her drink still in it. "Look, you never expected what was going to happen… so, right now we should try and think of where his research is at." Ford says finally.

"W-w-wait, Bartek d-d-didn't tell y-y-you where it was?" Rick exclaims.

"No… he said he hasn't had it for sixteen years…" explained Layla. "For all we know it can still be back in Gravity Falls, Oregon."

"That place sucked ass." Rick nonchalantly said as he drank more from his flask. "I mean gnomes, goblins, and dumb pixies? I'm a s-s-s-scientist, that stuff is just kid bullshit!"

"Then… what is all of this?" Ford asks seriously, gesturing around him.

"Adult bullshit." Rick confirms.

Ford gives himself a face palm. "Okay…" he drew out the word. "But, we need to somehow find it… that way Bill doesn't get it… Bartek made it sound like it was in these sub dimensions somewhere…"

"O-o-or with _someone_." Rick then points out.

"Someone?" Ford asks. "Who would he leave it with? Are you suggesting yourself?"

Rick scoffs, "A-a-a-as if," he then points at Layla.

Layla's electric blue eyes widened. "Why the hell would _I_ have it if _I'm_ looking for it!?"

Rick then taps on her head, the metallic sound being heard. "Use your head, Layla." He mutters. "Y-y-y-you're not an idiot, Layla, why else would Bartholomew do that to you?"

Ford puts a hand to his head, remembering the pain from his experience with putting the plate in his head. It is supposed to block out Bill from trying to get into your head… but, could it also _hide_ something?

"Rick…" Ford slowly says. "Are you suggesting that Dr. Bartek… _implanted_ his research into Layla?"

Rick shrugs. "I have no clue, Sci-fi," Rick replies. "It's a theory though…"

Layla puts her left to her head, her three full fingers slowly drumming on her temple. She then begins to pace around, chugging down her drink. "That's insane! Impossible!" she muttered to herself.

"There is only way to find out though…" Rick whispers. "Y-y-you got to get to t-t-that metal in your head… and there is only o-one being that has the t-t-technology for it…"

Ford's eyes widen in realization. "Magum…" he whispers.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello again everyone! I'm sorry this is short... but like I said I have trouble writing "Beyond the Portal", mainly because I have to try to write about 30 years of content... which may prove to be impossible. But, I'm going to try!

Also, the return of Rick! I figured he can't get home just yet because if it was so easy to leave then Ford and Layla could leave easily too, that wouldn't make sense.

Thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	13. The Mind is a Terrible Thing

**Chapter 13: The Mind is a Terrible Thing**

The three companions made their way to a small facility that they had found on the other side of the town after leaving the bar, both Rick and Layla drunk.

"Rick… why did you want to come here?" Ford asks him, but he was ignored.

Rick then finds a bunch of extra metal and some tools and throws them on the table before him. Ford raises an eyebrow and goes into his black trench coat, pulling out the research that was Rick's from before and the scraps of metal he had. Rick sees it and snatches it from Ford and lays it out next the metal, looking at it.

"Maybe you should be sober before you tinker with things." Ford suggests in monotone.

"A-a-a-and you c-c-c-can shut the h-h-hell up!" Rick shouts at him, him throwing scrap metal against each other.

Layla drunkenly giggles, her face blushed a red.

Ford gives himself a face palm. "Are you serious…?" he mutters angrily, mainly to himself. "Next time I _won't_ take you to a bar, Layla." She then leans on him, making him freeze with surprise. "L-Layla…!?"

"M-m-maybe you should l-l-l-lighten up, S-S-Stanford." Layla giggles, her pulling out a bottle of some kind of alcoholic drink she had stolen from the bar.

"Y-y-y-yeah, get w-w-wasted, Sci-Fi." Rick then mumbles. "I-I-I-I'm g-g-g-gonna build you two you're o-o-o-own portal gun, t-t-that way you can escape Magum."

Ford scoffs, "I think one of us _adults_ should be sober in case something happens!"

Rick rolls his eyes. "W-w-w-whatever, Sci-Fi, b-b-b-be a l-l-l-little bitch all y-y-y-you want," he mutters, him tinkering with the devices in front of him.

"I am not arguing with you, Rick." Ford states. Layla was still leaning on him and he gently pushes her away to stand up on her own. However, she just leans back in. Ford groans in annoyance.

"B-b-b-besides, Sci-Fi," Rick continues. "I know the p-p-p-" he belches in the middle of his sentence. "P-person that owns this place… w-w-w-we should be fine." He takes out some tools and starts putting the metal pieces together.

Ford begins to walk away, but Layla was practically glued to him. With a groan he takes her hand and tries to find a room where she could lay down and sober up. After a minute he manages to find a breakroom that had something that resembled a couch. Ford guides her to it and sits her down on it.

"Now, lay down and sober up a bit, Layla," Ford orders, his voice stern. It reminded him of his father when he and Stan wouldn't go to bed in a timely manner.

"O-o-o-or what, Ford?" Layla taunted drunkenly, she sat down on the couch but staggered to get up, but she just fell again.

"Ugh… I don't know… I'll lock you in here." Ford grumbles, him pinching by his eyes and nose in annoyance. He forgot how terrible she was when she was drunk.

She grabs his hand and pulls him down next to her, causing him to yelp in shock. Without a warning she leans against him and falls asleep, her soft snores making Ford stay still. He didn't dare move, and it felt like he wasn't breathing. He felt if he made on movement it would wake her up.

Ford after about fifteen minutes of just sitting dozes off himself, finding that he began to lean on the wall and his head resting on Layla's head as her rested on his shoulder. For the first time in a long while Ford didn't hear Bill's shrill, maniacal laughter echo in his dreamscape.

"H-h-h-hey, lovebirds!" Rick then shouts, causing Ford to jump, Layla yelping as she jumped too and fell to the floor. "I-I-I-I g-g-got the portal g-g-gun to work f-f-f-for-" he belches in midsentence. "-ya guys."

"Rick!?" Layla screeches, her standing up quickly. "What the hell are you talking about!?"

Rick rolls his eyes. "W-w-w-w-well, sorry your d-d-drunk ass didn't p-p-pay attention," he stutters.

Layla glares at him. "Whatever," she scoffs as she pushes her way past him to leave the room.

Ford calmed his beating heart and stood up. Was his heart beating from Rick's sudden loudness or was it from being next to Layla?

 _Both._ Ford rationalized with himself.

"S-s-s-s-so, you and L-L-Layla?" Rick smirked, wiggling his unibrow.

"What!?" Ford exclaimed, a sudden wrecked nervousness overwhelmed him. "N-n-n-no, it's not like that, we're friends!"

Rick gives him a skeptical look. "Right, and JFK was just 'friends' with Marilyn Monroe…" Rick says sarcastically, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. "N-n-now, here!" he then undoes his arm cross and thrusts a small gun device in Ford's hands. It was small and black, looking more like a TV remote than a gun.

"Okay…" Ford drew the word out. "This is _not_ a gun by any means."

"S-s-s-shut up, Sci-Fi!" Rick yells. "I have v-v-v-very limited equipment h-h-h-here!"

Ford sighs and puts the portal device into his inside coat pocket. Rick was still babbling about something, but Ford had longed tuned him out. Once the two were back in the main room where Rick was building the device, they noticed that Layla was nowhere to be seen.

"Layla?" Ford calls out, his voice wavering in worry. "Layla… if you're hiding, it's not funny."

"Y-y-yeah, don't w-w-w-wanna scare Sci-Fi into a heart attack." Rick comments.

Ford glares at him. Slowly, he takes his gun out from the holster on his left side. He wraps his hands around it, one finger on the trigger, ready to shoot. Ford makes his way through the room and gets to the door that led to the hallway of the building.

One light flickers above, however the hallway was mainly pitch black. Ford glances up and down to see if there was any movement. Shadows were dancing within shadows, and he couldn't tell whether or not something was really moving or his mind playing tricks on him.

"Layla?" Ford calls out again, his voice slightly stronger than before.

"You d-d-d-don't got a light?" Rick asks impatiently.

"No… I don't…" Ford replies, his tone sharp in annoyance at himself. He did have a lighter, but it was out of fuel… and Rick was the one that took it for their previous plan and he never returned it. Who knows where it was now?

There was a click, a small brilliant light illuminates, making Ford's shadow dance on the floor. He turns around and sees Rick holding up the lighter that Ford had taken from Stanley. Rick then holds out the lighter to Ford, gesturing for him to take it.

"I-I-I forgot to give it back before…" Rick says slowly. "So, I f-f-filled it with lighter fluid for ya."

Ford takes it, careful of the flame. "Thanks…" he says. "Now… let's go find Layla."

The two walked in the pitch black hallway, only less than two feet being illuminated in front of them from the lighter. Their footsteps gently echoed off the walls, Ford keeping his eyes wide open to try to peer in the darkness. For once Rick was quiet… or at least Ford thought.

"Where do you think she went, Rick?" Ford asks. There was no response. "Rick?" he stops and turns around, holding the lighter out further in front of him trying to get a better look in the darkness. "Hey! Where'd you go?" his voice echoes back to him.

Iciness pulses through Ford's veins. First Layla was gone… now Rick? His right hand gripped the gun as he aimed it forward, the left holding the lighter. A chilling laughter started echoing around him, it wasn't Bill's… it was Magum's.

His hand starts to shake, the gun wavering. The pounding in his chest was making him feel terribly ill, and all he wanted to do was just curl up on the floor. But that wasn't his thoughts… he would never do that… as a kid, yes, but now…?

" _Do you realize what kind of demon I am yet, Stanford?"_

"Where the hell are you, Magum!?" Ford screams. Something touches him and he yelps, dropping the lighter causing the light to go out. He immediately pulls the trigger, the beams of blue plasma hitting the wall. Nothing was there.

" _I'm a psychological and psychic demon, Stanford. Bill Cipher may have access to the Mindscape and Dreamscape, and even the Nightmare Realm… but I have access to every part of the brain…"_

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD, YOU BASTARD" Ford's voice was heavy with panic, it was like being in Gravity Falls again, hearing the voices and slowly descending into madness…

" _Do you feel it? Your sanity slipping? The mind is a terrible thing you know… I can make you think that you're back home in Glass Shard Beach, New Jersey, happily playing a game of make-believe with your twin brother, Stanley. Would you like that, Stanford? When was the last time you were happy with your brother?"_

Ford backs into the wall and slides down, his hand wavering as he lowers his gun. Would that be so bad? To think back on the happier times he had in his life? No… it wouldn't be real… he'd be trapped in his own happy bliss while Layla and Rick suffered.

 _"_ _So, how about we make a deal, Stanford?"_

Ford grips the gun tight, his jaw clenched. He stands right back up and aims the gun steadily in front of him.

"I'm _sick_ of making bad deals with you demons! You _devils_!" He calmly states. "I will not be manipulated again, do you hear me!? Now, return Layla and Rick!"

The air suddenly felt cold, causing Ford to shudder. His eyes dart around and suddenly his throat felt tight. He tries to gasp, but no oxygen was getting into his lungs. He felt his eyes bug out as he desperately tried to swing his arms and legs to the unknown assailant. Ford felt nothing coming into contact, which made him struggle even more.

Ford was suddenly thrown against the wall, the pain screaming in his body. He felt his head smack against it, something warm dribbling down his neck. Suddenly he was able to gasp for air as his body crumbles into the ground. His head felt hot and it was like being submerged in boiling water.

His mind was back in the family pawn shop, a teenaged Stanley playing with his paddleball and commenting on how attractive an actress was on the TV. Ford felt anger within him. Why was he so mad? He looks down and sees the crumbled up pamphlet to West Coast Tech, the school he wanted to go into but his project was sabotaged.

By his own twin brother.

 _This isn't real…_ Ford desperately thought. _This is the past… or is it the present and out of anger I hallucinated everything?_

 _"_ _Now do you see my power? I'm making you doubt your very being!"_

Ford blinks open his eyes and he felt the cold ground beneath him. He groans and tries to sit up, but was forced back onto the ground with some kind of force.

 _"_ _How about that deal now?"_

Through clenched teeth Ford growled, "You can take whatever deal you have and shove it up your ass!"

There was a sudden scream, and something in his head felt lightened, like a pressure was released. Was that a sign that Magum was there? Ford's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the scream again, recognizing the scream as Layla's. It wasn't a scream of horror, like he had heard at Bartek's Psycho House, but it was a scream of _rage_.

"Leave him alone you psychopath!" Layla's voice was heard. There was a sudden shot of a gun, a blue light being illuminated at the end of the hallway. The light was just enough for Ford to see his dropped lighter and gun and he makes a grab for those before running.

There was a sudden green light and an odd humming sound. The green light abruptly ended, and Layla's scoff of disbelief was heard. Something must've hit the wall as there was a loud crash.

As Ford made his way, he sees both Magum and Layla both on the ground, her trying to put the gun to his head. He manages to kick her off of him, and he stands up, straightening out his suit that he was wearing. Layla had grunted and fell to her side, her gun slipping from her hand.

"I can't get into your mind, Layla…" Magum comments, almost sadly. "I never could… Dr. Bartek put a different alloy of metal to hide his secrets in your pretty little head of yours."

Ford freezes, him thinking of the metal in his head. The metal _was_ from a facility that Magum owned and was a part of. No wonder why Magum was able to slip into his mind, he needed that specific metal to see into the minds of the people that worked for him and to use his telepathy powers to read minds.

"Well, Dr. Bartholomew Bartek is _dead_!" Layla counters. "So, you'll never get his research!"

Magum cocks his head to the side. "You're still going to try to protect him after what he did to you?" he says to her, a taunt in his tone. "He never cared for you, he basically said that outright to your face, and you're going to sit here and still protect him?" as he spoke his voice got angrier and angrier, scarlet flames licking across his hands.

"I'm not protecting him," she whispers. "I'm protecting my world!"

Ford went to raise his gun, but he was frozen in place from Magum's telepathy.

"I do have to say, Stanford," Magum lowly says. "I'm quite impressed on how far you have come in these dimensions. But… I'm afraid you are no longer any use to me… I can just let you rot out there and Cipher's henchmen will find you. As long as I have the portal research, I can spread my power across the whole multiverse.

"Bill thinks he has an advantage… he thinks he is all so powerful… but he forgets he doesn't have a physical form, that it was stripped from him long ago. I, however, am a being of flesh and energy, I can easily take over while he is in this weak state!"

Ford couldn't move, his gun was just held out in front of him, the finger on the trigger. But because of Magum's psychic hold on him, he was useless. To his left there was a sudden green light and a circle appears on the wall. Rick steps out, a gun in hand.

"S-s-s-sorry," Rick sarcastically begins. "But I had came to the party with n-n-no presents…" he then raises a gun to Magum. "But I got some now!"

Magum had been surprised at Rick's sudden reappearance that the hold on Ford was weakened. For managed to pull the trigger and the plasma blast hits Magum in his neck. Magum roared in anger and pain, him about to use his hand flick Ford away when another beam hits him, this time from Rick. Then another from Layla.

As Magum tried to hurt one person, the other would shoot, him becoming extremely frustrated. As red flames erupted from him in anger, Rick makes an escape through his portal as Ford ran to Layla and grabbed her hand.

Ford pulled Layla down the hallway where there was a window to the outside. They didn't have time to stop as Magum was on pursuit, his physic energy causing the walls to fall apart and surround him like some kind of shield.

"Ford?!" Layla gasped in horror when she saw him give some kind of smirk.

"You said not to trust no one, and I'm a firm believer on that…" Ford pants, his heart racing from running. "But… you'll just have to trust me on this one."

He sprints faster, forcing Layla to pick up her speed. Ford puts up an arm to shield his face and he braced himself for the impact. His forearm crashes through the glass, the two humans tumbling out the window. The ground was coming up fast, Layla screaming and gripping Ford's hand tighter.

Just as she had closed her eyes to brace herself to hit the ground and die, she felt like she was surrounded in water. She opens her eyes and sees that in fact that she was in water. Her hand was still tight around Ford's, his free hand holding up a small black device.

The two swam up to the surface and both gasp for air. They let go of each other's hands and swam toward the shore. Water, or whatever liquid it was, dripped off their clothes. Ford puts the device back into his coat pocket.

"Good thing Rick made that, huh?" Ford comments. He then looks back into the water. "And hopefully Magum doesn't get to us…" he puts a hand to his head. "It was like some kind of pressure… like I felt that he _was_ in my mind and messing with me…"

"But you're okay?" Layla asks him.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" he comments. "You had disappeared."

"No… you're the one that had disappeared." Layla states. "Rick gave you your lighter and suddenly it was like you vanished."

Ford raises an eyebrow. "Wait… what? That makes no sense…" he gasps in shock. "It must be part of his powers…"

"He is right about one thing…" Layla whispers. "The mind is a terrible thing…" she then throws her arms around him, making his face blush red. "But… I'm glad you're okay, Ford."

He puts a hand on her back, feeling uncomfortable. He then swallows whatever nervousness he had and returns her embrace.

"I'm glad you're okay too, Layla." Ford gently says.

And the two stood there as water crashed onto the shore, them in an embrace as the sun sets behind the horizon.

* * *

 **A/N:** FINALLY I GOT A CHAPTER OF THIS DONE! I was so focused with Dipper and Ford in the short stories that I just kept coming up with new ones to write and I was neglecting this. I even got an idea for another set of short stories and even photo-shopped a cover for it.

Since I have been practicing drawing, I'm going to try and get a concept art kind of thing out there for Layla and Magum.

Also, I think Rick ships Layla and Ford XD

Thank you for reading as always! And sorry it took a bit to get this out...

~Skye Hendersen~


	14. Gravity Falls Pioneer Day

**Chapter 14: Gravity Falls Pioneer Day**

Stan was once again opening shop for the Mystery Shack, noticing that people were lingering in the woods.

He had thought they were tourists, but they were dressed oddly. He figured that maybe they were Amish, the women wearing a bonnet on their heads, while the men were wearing some kind of puffy shirt some kind of raccoon pelted hat. Then he started seeing more and more of them, even horse drawn carriages were seen.

"Did I secretly go back in time or somethin'?" Stan questions to himself, scratching his head underneath his fez. "Damn it, Poindexter, you and your weird experiments…"

The door opens, causing the bell chime to ring. Stan immediately goes and greets the people, them dressed up in the similar getup from the people in the woods. They looked at him oddly, as if he were the odd one out, which in a way he was.

"Welcome to the Mystery Shack, how can I help you?" Stan greets enthusiastically.

"Why aren't you celebrating?" one man asked, him gesturing to Stan's clothing. Stan was wearing his one dress shirt that he had sewn question marks to and his question mark decorated tie.

"Um… what?" Stan bluntly replies, him clearly confused.

The woman that was with him explained, "Today is Pioneer Day, this is the day we celebrate when Gravity Falls was founded." She then unfolds a poster and hands it to Stan. "We act like we are in 1863."

The man then adds, "You should come to the opening ceremony, Mr. Mystery."

Stan looked at the poster, it looking yellow with age. He honestly couldn't tell if it was done on purpose or if it was just a very old poster. He gives it back to the woman, doubt on his features.

"Probably won't make it… too busy holding down the fort here!" Stan states. There was no other person in the Shack besides the three of them, only the creaking of wood from the gentle breeze from outside. One of the racks that had t-shirts suddenly collapses. Crashing to the floor with a loud crash. "Okay, I'll be there."

He ended up closing early because there were absolutely no customers. Apparently in 1863 there were any tourist traps for people to waste their money at. He changes into a simple t-shirt as it was now summer, but he still wore a pair of dark pants with hiking boots. Stan walks into town, again not really using his car to save gas, and once he walked in he immediately regretted it.

Literally the first thing he saw was a small little wedding ceremony where a man was marrying a woodpecker. Stan gets a pamphlet with the synopsis of the town's history, and one of the first things it said was that it was once legal to marry a woodpecker. Stan raises a brown brow and walks away, him looking around seeing the candle making and people making cloth on looms.

A crowd gathered at a stage, so he went to the crowd to what was so important. A man with golden blonde hair stood there, waiting for the crowd to settle down, a short boy that looked no older than ten years old with dark blonde hair standing next to him, a woman with red looking hair sitting in a chair behind them. They all dressed in extremely glorified clothing of the old time period, the materials looking like it was more expensive then the money to set up this holiday.

"Good morning everyone!" the blonde man greeted, his voice deep and filled with an accent that Stan recognized as snotty and rich. "My name is Theodore Northwest, grandson of town founder Nathaniel Northwest, I see we have new people in the crowd so I'd figured I would introduce myself." Eyes then glance over to Stan, who shrugged, uncaring. "And to announce what today is all about, my young son Preston will do the honors."

The small boy gulped and he walked to the microphone, which a butler had lowered down for him since he was short. Preston looked nervous, his stormy grey eyes widening and looking at the crowd with a slight fear.

 _The kid is like ten years old… and that guy is forcing him to speak to a crowd?_

"Um… hello…" the young boy, Preston, said into the microphone, his voice was high pitched still from not going through puberty and causing feedback on the mic, causing people to wince and cover their ears. Preston looked frightened and tried to take a step back, but was pushed forward by his father. "My name is Preston Northwest… and um, welcome to Pioneer Day… for events we have candle making, gold panning, butter turning, wood carving, and… and…" the young boy lost his train of thought, seeing something in the distance and his face lighting up like he wanted to go play, just like any normal kid.

"Preston," Stan could hear Theodore growl to his young son. "Finish up right now."

Preston's eyes widen and he clears his throat. "We also… have an area where you can learn the history of Gravity Falls…" The boy then whispers to his father, "Can I go play now?" There was a sharp shake of Theodore's head, causing Preston's face to look crestfallen.

Theodore then raises the microphone and says, "And that concludes the opening ceremony, enjoy Pioneer Day and remember that the Northwest family is richer than all of you combined!" Despite that insult many people still clapped and cheered.

As the group began to disband Stan had stood there looking at the family on stage. As someone walked by him he taps their shoulder. "Hey, what's the deal with them?" Stan asks.

"Oh, I forgot, you didn't eally go out much, Mr. Pines," the person he stopped commented. "They're the Northwest family, one of the richest families in the Pacific Northwest region, possibly one of the richest on the west coast." The person then explained.

"So… they just flaunt themselves?" Stan questions. He then looked at the young boy, who looked really sad and uncomfortable. "What about that kid?"

"Oh, Preston, he's actually a sweet kid, but he's a Northwest, so he's most likely going to end up just like Theodore and force his own kid into their lifestyle," the person tells him. He then walks away, leaving Stan still standing in the now empty area.

Stan then rolls his eyes as he was being glared at by the Northwest family, except the kid, and he walks away. He ended up walking by the small reading session of where someone was explaining the town history. So Stan stayed for a few, listening in, and trying to learn the culture, which was a lot easier to do then reading those difficult textbooks on machinery and all the science stuff Stanford had lying around.

People were surprised that Stan was there, making Stan think once again that his twin brother barely stepped outside of his house unless it was to get food or do his monster hunts. That was why he could phase into Stanford's life in this town so easily, they barely saw him, and since the two were twins and looked extremely similar despite being fraternal he wasn't easily recognized. No one noticed that Stan had the normal five fingers on each hand instead of Stanford's six, no one really questioned him about science since they don't really understand it and neither does Stan, and no one seemed to care that now the "laboratory" house in the woods turned into a tourist trap.

 _No one knows that I'm not Stanford… except that crazy McGucket… but it seems like no one pays him any mind so I should be good._

Stan bought a few of those homemade candles and even the butter, thinking that maybe he should give the community some sort of economic boost. He even bought one of those raccoon pelted hats, setting it right on top of his fez.

"Heh… hat hats…" he chuckles to himself.

People all around him were talking in the old timey ways, and some were laughing at their own terrible accents. The Northwest family was walking around, their heads high and mighty, all except Preston who looked toward the other kids with longing on wanting to play.

 _That kid is gonna be so damaged when he grows up…_

Theodore Northwest then approaches Stan, his face twisted with a fake smile, and his wife's with just as equal fake smile. "Ah, so you're the scientist that lives in the woods, Stanford Pines." Theodore casually says.

"Uh, yeah, how do you do Mr. Fancy Pants." Stan says back, his voice gruff and annoyed sounding.

"I haven't seen you in about six years…" Theodore comments. "My business is what helped built your house, including that large basement to the point where we had to add an elevator."

Stan's heart pounds in his chest. Did this guy know what was down there? Did he know what Stanford was working on when he had built the portal?

"So, Mr. Pines," Theodore continues. "What exactly do you have down there?"

Stan blurted the first thing that popped into his head, "Storage area for all the excess merchandise I got for my gift shop."

Preston's eyes widen, him curious. "A gift shop!? I wanna see!" he shrieks excitedly.

"Preston no, you are not going to that hovel of a place." Theodore lowly says to his son. "I don't want you hanging with any riffraff."

"Riffraff?" Stan echoes, his tone turning callous and annoyed. "Riffraff!? Just because I'm not super rich like you, asshole? Sorry, I make my damn living, I don't need handouts or need any help! I made my own damn business, I didn't just get handed my job and life on a silver platter!"

Theodore narrows his eyes angrily, his wife taking a few steps back. Preston looked confused, as if he wasn't fully following the conversation.

"I suggest you watch your tone, Mr. Pines…" Theodore lowly threatens. "You don't know what you're dealing with."

Stan gives him a glare. "And you don't know what _you're_ dealing with, pal." He growls threateningly. Stan had been to jail in three different countries, he had stolen many things, had to break out of someone trunk of their car because they were going to "take care of him" when he didn't pay any money back like he said he was going to.

Without another word the Northwest family walked away, the adults giving a huff while Preston waved goodbye behind his parents' backs. As Stan walked he read his little pamphlet again, reading that the whole thing was sponsored by the Northwest family and the money spent goes to them and barely any go to the town and the people that worked for the holiday.

"Oh… you son of a bitch!" Stan shouts, him crumpling the pamphlet and throwing it on the ground. "I HATE PIONEER DAY SCREW THIS!" he had already bought the candles and the hat though, so that couldn't be helped. He actually ended up going back to those stalls and giving the people extra money, and when they asked why he simply said it was a tip.

That night when he made it back home he put the candles on the kitchen table and threw the pelted hat in the corner, making his fez go lopsided. He took off his fez to reveal his brown hair, looking flat against his head from wearing it.

"Never again… stupid Pioneer Day… stupid Northwest family…" Stan grumbled as he took a beer out of the fridge. He pops the tab open and chugged half of the can in one swig. Stan couldn't believe people would act like that… they had all that money and it couldn't buy them good manners or common courtesy.

As he went into his bedroom he passed the mirror in the hallway, seeing himself with dark circles under his eyes from being tired. In a way he looked like Stanford when Stan had last saw him… extremely tired and running on caffeine and no sleep.

"I can see why you never went to those things, Ford…" he whispers to his reflection. "They're stupid and annoying."

With that he turned off the hallway lights and went into his room to settle for bed. Being in the sun had drained him of his energy and he couldn't possibly work on the portal.

 _Tomorrow after work I'll pull an all nighter on that damn thing…_

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey guys! So this is just my little take on why Stan could possible hate Pioneer Day. It's not the actual culture he doesn't like, it's the family that runs it. Also, I figured that Preston might have been nicer as a kid but got corrupted by his father.

So thank you guys again for reading! Now we got a little insight on what Stan has been doing while Ford and Layla have been running for their lives from Magum.

~Skye Hendersen~


	15. For Infinity

**Chapter 15: For Infinity**

Ford had a small fire going in a cave that he and Layla were in, both had their coats and boots off and were hanging in the corner to get them dry.

They were both soaked through from their portal entry into the watery world they had escaped to. Ford's sweater was sticking to him uncomfortably, and he fought the urge to just strip it off. He figured if Layla can't take hers off because of reasons, then he shouldn't be able to either.

Both of their stomachs growled, and whatever food they had in their smalls bags were waterlogged. Besides, even if they wanted to they shouldn't eat it, they had no idea if the liquid they were in was meant to be ingested. Layla usually knew what foods and liquid sources they can eat and drink, however she said this was her first time in this dimension.

Ford looked over the portal device that Rick had given him, he tried to fiddle with it but it seemed it had overheated. He sighs and puts it to the side, unsure when it would be functional again. He puts his hands by the fire, him getting warm, but his sweater was still sticking to him.

Layla sat opposite of Ford, her dark purple sweater clung to her shape, accenting her figure. Without her coat to hide everything Ford couldn't help but glance at her once in a while, a little red in the face. She ran her hands through her long black hair, trying to untangle it as much as she could. It was still wet as her hair was much longer and thicker than Ford's, water dripping from the ends.

"You doing okay…?" Ford asks her gently.

She looks up at him. "Yeah… I'm doing okay," she tells him. "But what about you…? Magum was really messing with you."

Ford throws a twig into the flames, blankly staring at it. "It is what it is… the metal can make sure Bill won't get in my head but Magum has full access," he tells her, tapping his head. "He mentioned he can't get into your head though…"

"My father must've used a different type of metal that Magum can't read." Layla murmurs.

Ford looks away from the flames. "Obviously Dr. Bartek knew Bill… but did he know Magum? Was he making deals with both of them?" Ford mainly asked himself. Making a deal with one was already a bad idea, but two?

"Well, we will never know, I shot that fricken asshole in the face." Layla bluntly says, her getting up to get to her coat. She rummaged through the coat and pulled out a bottle of liquor.

"How the hell do you keep a bottle in your coat?!" Ford shouts in bewilderment.

"Same way I put anything in my coat," Layla replies as if it was obvious. "I have pockets." She then removes the cap and takes a long swig. When she was done she then passes the bottle to Ford. "Here."

"I don't think that's a good idea…" Ford says, his eyebrow raised slightly in skepticism, eying the forced bottle of liquor in his hands.

Layla gives a mischievous grin. "C'mon, Stanford, live a little!" she laughs at him.

"I won't be living if I'm _dead_ from being attacked by some interdimensional monster while piss drunk!" he retorts angrily.

The woman laughs again. "Just a sip then?" she insists.

With a sigh Ford gives in and takes a sip. The alcohol was extremely bitter on his tongue and he ended up gagging. As he was coughing uncontrollably Layla was just laughing at him her face red from drinking.

"Yeah, it's a little strong…" she tells him between her laughs.

Ford sets down the bottle, giving her a hard glare. "Yeah…" he mutters. He looks at the portal device once again but it was still overheated. He then groans with annoyance, noticing that it was smoking slightly. When he pried open the small panel the wires were fried. "I knew that Rick shouldn't have built this damn thing while he was drunk!" he shouts as he throws it in the sand.

Layla the sighs, "This dimension can't be _totally_ empty… there has to be a town or something."

Ford gets up and goes to his trench coat. It was still damp, but he shrugs it on, the pressure from it causing his sweater to cling to him uncomfortably as it was still wet, and when he put on his boots it felt squishy inside. He grabs the portal device from the sand and brushes the excess off then puts it in his pocket.

"Where are you going?" Layla asks in surprise.

"Like you said, this dimension can't be totally empty," Ford states. "So, we should look around and find something."

As he was talking Layla gets up and gets her coat. When she walked by him he could help but look at her hourglass shape. She was small in stature and frame, probably from years being in the multiverse alone, but she was also pretty fit from running around. Layla puts on her coat and her boots and she turns around, seeing Ford's stare linger a little and she raises a black eyebrow.

"What?" she questions.

"Uh, nothing!" Ford stammers, raising his hands. "We should get moving."

They left the little cave that they were hiding out in, raining falling from the dark skies. It didn't even matter that they were trying to dry their trench coats, the rain soaked them through again. As they walked they both start to shiver, more so Layla because of her small size. In the distance there was some sort of glow of a light, and with a happy glance at each other they started walking faster with newfound determination to get there.

It seemed like it was large city of seller at stands, claiming to sell the best items in the multiverse. One stand was selling weapons, which Layla quickly stole two newer guns. She passed one to Ford who looked at her like she was nuts. They passed another stand that was selling certain clothes, another with some kind of jewelry. Each occupant of a stand was some different alien race, most looking like giant praying mantis insects, a few burly looking ogre-like creatures, and a few minor demonic looking beings.

"What is this place…?" Ford questions, him suspiciously looking at the items for sale. There were a few food items that Layla quickly snagged. "Layla!" he hissed.

"We don't have money, Ford, we have to steal," she hisses back.

"You sound like my brother…" Ford retorted, remembering how when Stanley and him were younger how Stanley would be pickpocketing people and using the money to buy themselves ice cream at the docks of Glass Shard Beach, New Jersey.

The two were walking by the other stands, Layla putting things in coat as Ford distracted the sellers with questions. Finally the two were walking by a stand that had dice, something that Ford immediately stopped to look at.

"Oh no…" Layla mutters, slapping her left hand to her face.

"Are those thirty-eight sided dice!?" Ford exclaims happily, his voice actually slightly cracking with excitement. "Does that mean you have an Earth game called _Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons_!?" he then asks, his brown eyes practically sparkling.

"Are you serious, Ford?" Layla practically growls. She then saw the excited look on his face and she couldn't help but giggle slightly.

The owner of the stand looked at him with pale blue eyes, its purple skin seemingly shimmering. It replied to a low voice, "I believe we have a copy…" It then grabbed something from under the table and pulled it out, a very old version of the board game, probably the first edition.

"Oh… the first edition!" Ford gasps, a huge smile on his face, making the bottom of his glasses press against his cheeks. "How much is it!?" Even if Ford didn't have money maybe he could find some or make a trade…

"One thousand blarfnorbs," the monster replies stoically.

Ford glances around. "Is that… a lot… or…?" he questions.

Layla then pulls him to the side and starts whisper-yelling at him, "What are you doing you huge nerd!?"

"What? It's a good game…"

"Do you know what a blarfnorb is!?" she demands.

"No…"

"Well neither do I! So it can't be good!"

Ford then walks back to the stand. "Hey… so is there a trade we can do for it…?" he asked.

"No." the monster states.

Ford then looks on the table again, seeing a special thirty-eight sided die siting in a special case. It glowed a dim blue, and as Ford looked closer it seemed that the sides were changing. Some of them were various symbols, some were numbers, and it seemed they didn't stay for long as it constantly changed.

"Whoa… what is that?" Ford awed.

"And infinity sided die," the monster replied. "Banned in over nine thousand dimensions because of its dangerous properties."

Ford's eyes widened. How was it possible that there was something like this? And if it can be anything… it was a potential doomsday device.

"Uh… how much…?" Ford then asks, his voice sounding high.

The monster gave him a skeptical look. "If you wanted to trade something worth one thousand blarfnorbs then you definitely can't afford one _billion_ blarfnorbs."

 _Time to pull a Stanley…_

"Hey… what is that?" Ford pointed behind the monster, his voice sounding extremely fake. The monster actually looks behind them and with that split second Ford grabs the die in its case, shutting it and stuffing it into his coat pocket, and he began running. Layla gasps as she saw him running by her and before she could say anything he grabbed her left hand and continued running.

There was a screech behind him and sudden plasma beams were being shot by their feet. Ford ran to the right, trying to avoid the blasts.

"What did you _do!?_ " Layla screams angrily. "Did you steal that stupid nerdy board game!?"

"NO!" Ford screams back defensively. "I stole and infinite sided die…"

" _A WHAT!?_ "

There was more blasts from behind them, and Ford almost tripped over a stone. A burning sensation hits the back of his legs, him causing to buckle and fall over, bringing Layla with him. The burning sensation became more intense, to more of an absolute fire that as spreading violently in his leg.

"Oh my God, Ford!" Layla shouts in panic. "S-stay calm, okay… I'll get us out of here…"

Ford groans, "What are you…?" he then glances at his leg, a hole straight through, blood pulsating from the wound. He felt his face pale and his heart dropping to the pit of his stomach, his body running cold as an iciness filled his veins. "Oh my… oh my God… I-I don't f-feel well…" he shakily said.

"FORD! Don't pass out okay!? You're going into shock!" Layla screamed, failing to stay calm.

They were starting to get surrounded by the guards, plasma rifles pointed at them. Layla gets to her side and grabs the gun she had stolen earlier. She aims it ahead of her, her electric blue eyes narrowing in anger and slight panic. As they aimed more at her for being a threat, she pulls the trigger, blasting one guard in the chest and it flying backwards. With the slight distraction Layla continues shooting, her crawling towards Ford to get a free arm under him to move him safely.

Ford's breathing became shallow, his vision blurring. He was panicking, his heart pounded painfully in his chest, and with each heartbeat more blood pulsed from his leg.

"You're going to be okay, Stanford, I got you!" Layla shouts as she shot another pale blue plasma blast towards the guards. She hit one in the head and a dark green blood splattered over the others, the blood acting like an acid and burning the others. As the monsters scream in pain Layla manages to pick up Ford with an adrenaline strength and drag him out of the black market.

She manages to get to an alley way and put Ford behind a pile of large crates. She tries to calm her own breathing, her heart racing. Layla then looks at Ford's leg, seeing the blood going into a trickle. Her chest tightens when she noticed how deathly pale his face was, his breathing ragged.

"Oh no! Oh no, no, no, no…!" Layla stammers in a panic. "Oh no… Ford!" She looked around trying to find something to use as a bandage for him, and when she couldn't find anything she took off her trench coat and stripped off her shirt, just revealing her in a solid black bra. She didn't even bother putting back on her trench coat, her ripping the purple sweater into strips. She used the fabric to wrap it around Ford's leg, almost like a turret, finding a metal rod to fasten it well.

"Ow…" Ford groaned weakly. "That's a little… tight…" he whispers.

"It's supposed to be, dummy." She tells him, her voice shaky.

Ford then goes into his trench coat pocket and pulled out a small plastic-looking case. He pops it open revealing the infinite sided die. "At l-least I got it…" he mumbles, his voice sounding very weak. "… now… hopefully B-Bill or M-M-Magum will n-never find it…" His eyes then flutter shut and he passes out.

"STANFORD!" was the last thing Ford heard, Layla screaming his name in fear.

* * *

 **A/N:** Uh oh...

Thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	16. The Pine and Oak's Trust

**Chapter 16: The Pine and Oak's Trust**

He felt an intense burning sensation in his leg, it spreading like a fire through his veins, and with a groan he blinks opens his eyes, seeing a hand putting a cool, wet cloth to his forehead.

As soon as his eyes fluttered open, the pair of electric blue colored eyes meet his gaze and immediately filled with tears. Layla's arms wrap around his torso, him still laying down and her awkwardly on top of him, and he heard her sobs of relief and felt her body shake. Without even thinking he puts a hand on the small of her back and rubs gently to comfort her.

Ford couldn't help but think that her body was pressed against his, his face feeling hot. When he was younger he didn't think much about starting relationships with women, he was too focused on his academics and research. Stanley was the one who was interested in relationships, he had even wanted a family of his own… but Ford wasn't that type.

Or so he had thought.

Feeling her against him felt like it was the natural thing in the world. He could feel her heartbeat slowly going into sync with his own. At this realization his heartbeat increased, feeling his heartbeat bouncing against his chest.

Layla's face then looks into his, and he tried his best not to have his burning face be totally shown. Her eyes were red and puffy from her crying, tear streaks down her pale cheeks.

"You…" Layla barely whispered, her voice soft. Then her eyes narrowed angrily, making Ford flinch, and she practically growls, "You… _IDIOT!_ " She then slaps him across his face, not very hard but hard enough to startle him. "Why would you _do_ that?! I… I thought you were going to die!" she cries, tears starting to stream again.

Ford's chest clenches, him feeling guilty. "I'm sorry…" he apologizes. "I didn't mean to make you worry…" The weight from Layla being on him then disappears, him suddenly feeling cold as the warmth of her body left him. He then tries to sit up but hisses in pain.

"No, Ford!" the woman exclaims. "You shouldn't be moving, you're still bleeding from your wound!"

"W-wound?" Ford gasps. He then sits up slightly, wincing through his pain, and he saw that his leg was wrapped in Layla's purple sweater, blood seeping through. "Oh…" he whispers. He then looks up back at Layla, seeing that her coat was wrapped extremely tight around her. He finally made the connection that she had used her shirt to bandage his leg. "Oh, your shirt, Layla…"

"I'll get a new one," she quickly said. "I was waiting until you woke up so I can get some healing ointment."

Ford raises a brown brow. "Healing ointment?" he questions. "Why didn't you get it before?"

Layla's face blushes red. "I-I had to make sure you didn't die…" she stammers. "Now that you're awake… I can go get it. These parts of the multiverse have extreme medical advances here…" She then leans on the wall, and it was the first time that Ford was looking where he was in.

It was an extremely small room, but there were dark blankets and pillows about. Someone was here… but Layla had said she had never been in this dimension before. That means… Dr. Bartek was here at one point. Another secret alcove it seemed to be, it must've been his technology that made them, and by the looks of it Dr. Bartek was hiding out in this dimension.

"I… I also found this…" Layla then whispers, holding up a wrecked book, a pale blue in color with dark stains in its cover. "It's a journal…and… it's a _very_ detailed journal on his victims." She was referring to her father. "My father seemed to send his failed experiments to these dimensions, testing out his portal. He met a few of them here… them bleeding and dying as their bodies started morphing into demonic creatures. Demons like to prey on weak souls… so they preyed on the victims… causing them to become bloody demons themselves…"

Ford's heart seemed to skip a beat. Innocent people that Dr. Bartek had taken and did unethical experiments to them. They had a fate worse than death. The people became monsters in eternal pain…

"So… this is one of the alcoves?" Ford guesses, figuring that's where they were.

Layla shakes her head. "No… this is a warehouse. But my father seemed to… continue with his experiments here," she says to him. She then gets up and grabs another blanket and throws it over Ford. "I'll be back, okay?" she stated, her voice wavering. She then gets the gun from her side and takes a deep breath. "I _will_ be back…" she says again, this time it seemed like she was most likely trying to reassure herself. Layla then slowly leaves the room, but not before she looks back at Ford, whose brown gaze behind his glasses look at here with a worried expression. "W-what…?" she stammers.

"Just come back, okay?" Ford tells her, a small sad smile on his face. He wanted to believe that she could handle herself out there, after all she was in the multiverse for sixteen years before he had arrived.

Layla then gives Ford a brilliant smile and walks back towards him. She crouches down and gives him a tight hug, careful by his injured leg. "I _will_ come back!" she says again, this time her voice a lot stronger and more determined. She then releases her embrace with Ford and walks out from the room, leaving Ford alone.

Ford's leg was throbbing painfully, and despite having a makeshift bandage on it, blood was still slowly dribbling from the sides. He felt his body becoming colder, thus why Layla probably threw a blanket on him to keep him warm. Ford felt his eyes grow heavy and his breathing slow, him becoming extremely tired. A small smile spreads on his face, him thinking that sleep would be so nice.

"Layla was very warm… she's… very… warm…" his eyes flutter shut.

* * *

What seemed only a few moments that he had shut his eyes, a warm sensation was spreading in his leg.

Ford gasps as he sits upright, his heart pounding in a panic. He then sees that Layla was at his leg, a tube of some kind of ointment in her hand as the other was on her leg. She looked at him startled, her blue eyes wide.

"Stanford…?" she says cautiously.

"Layla?" Ford's confused expression then turns into a large smile, his brown eyes looking a little hazy. "You came back! That was fast!" he cries out happily.

Layla cocks a black eyebrow. She then looks at the tube of the ointment she had in her hand. "Huh… I wonder if this is making you high…" she wondered aloud curiously.

"What…?" Ford gasped, him dramatically and clumsily putting a hand to his chest. "Never did drugs in my life and I was in school during the seventies! That's a no-no!" he then wags his finger the way his mother used to when he and Stanley got in trouble as children.

Layla laughs, one that sounded musical, "No… this medicine actually _does_ give you a high… you're high, Stanford." She then looks at his leg, only a hole in his pants and some dried up blood showing that he ever had a wound there. "Better then you dying that's for sure…" she then mumbles, but Ford didn't hear.

"But you came back!" Ford cries out again. "That's great! And I only closed my eyes for a second!"

Layla then says slowly, "Ford… I was gone for an hour… you were snoring when I came back, and it took at least another four hours to get your leg to heal." She kept her gaze on his as she talked. "I'm assuming because of your blood loss that your high is a lot stronger…"

"I don't snore." Ford then says seriously, his expression hard.

Layla gives him a mischievous smile. "Yeah, you do," she sternly tells him. "And very loudly too."

As time went on Ford's high slowly dispersed from his system, him eventually actually forgetting what they had talked about earlier. Once he felt strong enough he tested out his preciously injured leg, the hole in his pants revealing a pale scar that was there. He moved his leg around and found that it was perfectly fine. With a sigh of relief he then goes into his trench coat pocket and grabbed the small case that had contained the infinite sided die. Was it worth almost dying for?

"Why did you grab that, Ford?" Layla asks him, her gaze on the die, noticing how it constantly changed.

"I… I figured with something as dangerous as this that Bill or even Magum shouldn't try to get their demonic hands on it…" Ford explains, him observing the changing symbols. "One of their minions would've stolen it and gave it to them, or rolled it themselves." He sighs as he puts the die away. "Hopefully I made the right choice… I didn't mean to make you worry."

Layla gives him a sympathetic look. "Hey, it's okay… I know in your heart you believed you were doing right," she tells him as she playfully punched him in the shoulder. Then her expression went hard as she punched him forcibly against his shoulder. "But, you're still an _idiot_ for doing that!"

"OW!"

"What if I did'tt get us out of that situation!? What if I hadn't found my father's cursed warehouse full of damn dead people in the other rooms!? What if I didn't manage to find a medical facility!? What if… what if I had come back and you were _dead_ , Stanford!?" the more she listed the more hysterical she sounded, her eyes filling with tears as her voice wavered and cracked. She had been pacing the room back and forth, Ford nervously scratching behind his head.

"Hey… I didn't mean-" he tried to say but was cut off.

"NO!" she screamed at him. "I don't _care_ that you 'didn't mean to'!" she gave him such an icy glare that Ford felt frozen in place. "You're supposed to be intelligent right, Mr. I Have a Gazillion PhD's!"

"I have twelve-"

"You should've _thought_ that whole thing through!" she insisted. "I could've stolen it while you distracted if you had just _told_ me!" She then said something with such a defeated sounding tone, her voice cracking as tears began to fall, and that it almost made Ford's heart shatter, "Do you even _trust_ me?"

Ford hadn't trusted in a long time. The first person who truly betrayed his trust was no other than his _twin_ brother, Stanley sabotaging his project that costed his chance to get into a real good school on a scholarship. Then when Ford trusted a demonic entity and his trust was once again thrown back into his face. Slowly he had slinked into madness, becoming sleep deprived and becoming so paranoid that he almost shot his twin with a crossbow when he was the one who invited him in the first place. Even when he first met Layla one of the first things she said was to trust no one.

But then he thought of how she must've felt during her years in these lonely dimensions. She had trusted her father was doing the right thing experimenting on those people. She had trusted Magum and his gang and she had become abused in more ways than one. She was even betrayed by someone she thought she could trust with information, but that creature had wanted the reward of the bounty that was placed on Ford's head.

Layla knew better than anyone about trust…

"Of course I trust you…" Ford honestly admits, him glancing away from her powerful blue gaze in nervousness. "I… I just didn't think it through… that was all my fault. I wouldn't want you to feel guilty if I got myself killed for something."

She then walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his torso, putting her head to his chest. He then noticed that she was wearing a navy blue sweater, her most likely stealing it during her medicine run, but what he really noticed was the warmth that pulsed from her. The iciness he had felt within his veins melted away, slowly being replaced with her lovely warmth.

"I trust you," he states firmly again, not wanting to make her feel that she was untrustworthy.

Layla gazes up at him with her electric blue eyes, her slightly upturned nose still looking so pixie-like and her splash of freckles across her nose making her look almost childlike. A few strands of her long, jet black hair framed her thin face. Without thinking Ford uses a hand and tucks the strands behind her ears.

"I trust you too, Stanford."

* * *

 **A/N:** Welp, if "trust" isn't love between these two I don't know what is. Wait... I should know, _I'm_ the one writing this story!

So, I have been practicing my drawing once again and this time I did a couple of head sketches of Layla, so I have been thinking about getting a Devianart or something like that to post my artwork, and that way people can link me easier to any art they would like to share.

Thanks for reading as usual everyone!

~Skye Hendersen~


	17. Childhood Memories

**Chapter 17: Childhood Memories**

They were walking through a new dimension, finding a natural portal that lead them out.

As they were searching for the natural portal, new posters of Ford were sprouting up, now saying that he was a thief as well. Annoyed, Ford ripped down poster and tore it apart. Layla was wearing a new scarf around her neck, no doubt that she had stolen while they were at the market, it being a glittery purple that accented her navy blue sweater.

Stealing that die was the first time Ford had ever stolen anything, Stanley was the one who stole. Even though Ford never approved his brother of stealing and lying… it did help them in certain situations. As he looked at the ever changing sides his memories came flooding back…

 _Hey, Stanford!_

 _What, Stanley?_

 _I found ten bucks!_

 _Where?!_

 _Someone's pocket!_

Ford couldn't help but snicker at that memory. He was so worried that the two were going to get in trouble, but they never did. Even the few times that Stanley was caught he made sure that Ford wasn't the one getting in trouble.

 _Wow, Lee, it's very hot today… it would be nice if we could get some ice cream…_

 _I got you, Sixer, don't you worry!_

Sometimes Ford would suggest things to do, and Stanley would comply. Until one time he was caught… thinking of that day made Ford feel so bad for his twin because he partially caused it…

* * *

 _(Warning: There is some physical abuse.)_

 _Two small young boys were running up and down the beach, one wearing thick glasses while the other had a missing front tooth, both with brown hair glittered with sand and bright, youthful brown eyes._

 _They giggled and laughed as they knocked each other in the sand, rolling around. After a little bit they would sit in the shade, near the docks. The docks were building a few rides, and one was a rollercoaster that when at the top of the hill you can swear you almost see New York City with its tall buildings._

 _"_ _How much do you think those tickets cost, Ford?" Stanley asked in, his red and white striped shirt dirty from the sand._

 _"_ _Probably five dollars a person…" Ford responded, putting a small six-fingered hand to his chin as he thought. "It might even be six dollars a person, Lee."_

 _Stanley whistles, "Wow… that's a lot…"_

 _"_ _Dad would never let us go…" Ford muttered. "He would say it's too much money and that we don't have enough for something like this." He looked sad at the thought of not being able to have fun._

 _A sad expression passes over Stanley's face. Before Ford could as what was wrong the young boy went back to his upbeat attitude. "Don't worry, Sixer, I got this!" he cheers._

 _"_ _Stanley… you probably shouldn't steal again…"_

 _"_ _What's the harm? I'll only take a dollar or two from each person, they won't notice!"_

 _The two boys went onto the docks, walking through the tiny amusement park, them passing by the almost complete rollercoaster. Stanley was glancing around, trying to find the most distracted of people._

 _"_ _Okay, Stanford, you just stay here and not be a part of it," Stanley tells his twin. "Then as soon as the rollercoaster opens, it'll be you and I at the very top!" he gives a huge smile, the gap between his teeth from the missing tooth showing through._

 _Ford gives a nod. "Okay, Lee, be careful okay?" he tells his brother._

 _Stanley scoffs, "I'm_ always _careful!" The boy then runs off while Ford goes and sits on a bench, him taking out a book from his inside coat pocket. Once in a while Ford would glance up from his reading, seeing Stanley successfully take someone's wallet, take out a dollar or two, and putting the wallet back. Soon, Stanley came back with a total of twelve dollars. "Lookie here, Fordsy!" he laughed._

 _"_ _That's stupid, don't call me that, Lee." Ford laughed as he playfully punched his brother in the shoulder._

 _Stanley laughs, "Yeah, whatever." They walked by a comic book stand, and once again Stanley joked that he should be getting money because of the man Stan Lee. "C'mon, Sixer, imagine if they sent us money because they thought that was me!" he would always laugh and joke._

 _"_ _We can practice our art… maybe you can be a comic book artist." Ford suggested._

 _"_ _Nah!" Stanley says, his face blushing red. "I'm not good at art… not like you, Stanford. You're probably gonna be drawing things for nerdy science books or somethin'…" Another sad look passes over Stanley's face._

 _"_ _Stanley…?" Ford questions, him reaching out to put a hand to his twin's shoulder._

 _Stanley shakes his head. "Everything is fine, Ford! C'mon, let's go home, the rollercoaster doesn't open until Friday anyway!" he says casually to Ford as he grabbed his brother's hand and started running._

 _When Friday came around the two Pines twins were standing in line for the rollercoaster. As they got closer to the front, Ford gasped. The tickets were more expensive than he thought… it was seven dollars a person._

 _"_ _Lee… we don't have enough…" Ford hissed to Stanley. "And I really wanted to go on the rollercoaster too…"_

 _Stanley without hesitation reached out in front of him and pickpocketed from a woman's purse in front of them. He hands one of the extra dollars to Ford._

 _"_ _We're gonna go on the rollercoaster, brother," Stanley sternly tells his twin._

 _When the woman in front of them went to give money to the ticket man, she started cursing. She could've sworn she had the right amount of money. The ticket man told her to leave if she didn't have enough, and she then dragged her son away, who was crying that he couldn't go on the rollercoaster._

 _"_ _Oh… no, that's terrible…!" Ford muttered to himself as he and his twin handed the ticket man the money. They got their tickets and sat first car of the rollercoaster, Stanley jumping up and down in excitement. "Maybe you shouldn't have taken her money… her kid wanted to go on too…"_

 _Stanley gives his brother a confused look. "Hey… you wanted to go on right? I never get to help you out with anything… you're always doing stuff for me! Now it's my turn!"_

 _The ride then starts and Stanley whoops and yells excitedly. Ford couldn't help but laugh and join in as well. The beginning of the rollercoaster had a few twists and turns, then soon they were climbing up the hill._

 _"_ _Do you think we could really see New York City at the top!?" Stanley gushes to Ford. "Or… or maybe we can even see Canada!"_

 _"_ _That is possible!" Ford agrees._

 _"_ _CANADA! CANADA! CANADA!" the twins cheered together as the rollercoaster car climbed and climbed._

 _However, as they got higher, Stanley's face paled. He looked over the side and saw how high they were. His cheering got quieter and quieter, his breathing becoming ragged and panicked. They were too high… too high… humans weren't meant to be this high!_

 _"_ _Stanley…?" Ford worriedly says to his brother. "Are you okay?"_

 _"_ _We're too high, Stanford! I don't like it!" Stanley cries out. "Get me down, get me down!"_

 _Ford looks forward and gives a slight grin. "Oh, we're about to get down, Lee," he tells his brother._

 _Stanley's face pales into a deathly white as one hand gripped onto the handrail of the car and the other gripped onto Ford's forearm. Ford grimaced at the sudden pain, but it was ignored as he felt the wind go through his brown hair as they descended._

 _Ford was screaming with pure joy and laughing. Stanley was screaming in terror and there were even tears in his eyes. Soon the ride was over, Stanley's knuckles a bone white from gripping so tightly._

 _"_ _S-Stanford…?" Stanley stammered. "Y-you know how w-w-we argued about the top bunk?"_

 _"_ _Yeah…?" Ford replies._

 _"_ _You can have it now…"_

 _The two got off the rollercoaster, but they were greeted with two officers. The woman that Stanley had stolen from was next to them, her saying that they were the boys that were standing behind her and her son._

 _One officer looked at Ford, then he glanced over to Stanley. "Did you two steal from this nice woman?" the officer asked._

 _"_ _No." the two lied, but then Stanley admitted, "I did. It was all me. My brother really wanted to go on the rollercoaster… so… so I-"_

 _"_ _Stealing is wrong, young man!" the woman screeched. "I bet your parents didn't raise you to act this way!"_

 _The second officer was writing something down in a notebook. "Okay… what are your names?" he asked._

 _"_ _S-Stanford-" Ford murmured._

 _"_ _-and Stanley-" Stanley murmured as well._

 _"_ _Pines," they finished in unison._

 _The first officer then said, "Oh, they must be Filbrick's twin sons… you know, the pawnshop owner…"_

 _The second officer nods and writes that in the book. "Alright, come along you two," he ordered._

 _"_ _What?" Stanley yelps. "Wait… what are you going to do?! Am I going to jail!?"_

 _"_ _No, we're taking you two home and talking with your parents," the first officer told him._

 _Stanley's face went white, just like on the rollercoaster. "I rather go to jail!" he screams. He then tries to run away, but the officer grabs him by the arms and starts dragging him away from the docks and towards the parking lot. "No! Let me go!" he kept screaming as he tried to struggle._

 _The twins were placed in the police car and they were being driven away. Stanley kept crying that he didn't want to go home, that he rather go to jail. Ford was then getting an uneasy feeling in his stomach… Ford knew their father was sterner than other kids' fathers. But what was Stanley so upset for?_

 _Soon the police car pulls up to the Pines Pawn Shop that also served as their home upstairs. Ford complies with the police and gets out of the car, but as soon as Stanley's shoes hit asphalt he tried to run, only to be stopped by a loud scream of anger._

 _"_ _STANLEY DAVID PINES!"_

 _Stanley froze in place, and even Ford flinched at their father's yell._

 _The officers came inside and the twins' mother offered them drinks. As they got their drinks they explained how that Stanley was caught stealing money._

 _"_ _My little Stanley?" Ma questions. "He's a good boy, he wouldn't do that…"_

 _"_ _I wouldn't put it past him." Filbrick grumbled._

 _"_ _Stanley admitted to us that he stole the money," the one officer with the notebook said._

 _Filbrick gives Stanley a hard glare, then he glances at Ford. "Stanford, did you know about this?"_

 _"_ _Uh…" Ford stammered._

 _"_ _No. He didn't." Stanley stated firmly. "He had nothing to do with it, it was my doing."_

 _The officers then give Ma their empty glasses. "Well, we will be off, and I hope that you would make sure this doesn't happen again," one of them sternly said, giving a handshake to Filbrick._

 _As soon as the officers left Filbrick orders, "Stanford, go to your room. Now."_

 _"_ _But-"_

 _"_ _I need to talk to your brother in private."_

 _Ford starts to climb the stairs, but he stayed at the top, trying to listen in._

 _"_ _Why did you steal the money, Stanley!?" Ford heard Filbrick's voice demand angrily._

 _Silence._

 _"_ _STANLEY!"_

 _"_ _BECAUSE I KNEW YOU WOULDN'T GIVE US MONEY!" Ford then heard his brother scream, his voice equally as angry in tone. "You…! You would've said that it's too expensive… just like with everything!"_

 _"_ _Oh, Stanley…" their mother's voice soothed._

 _"_ _Don't talk to him right now, Martha, get away from him!" Filbrick shouts, causing Ford to flinch. "You still stole, you little brat, and that's wrong!"_

 _"_ _Well… well maybe I do it because I'm the reason this family doesn't have money!" Stanley cried. "I hear you talk with the neighbors… it's all my fault… it's_ always _my fault! Shermie gets praise because he signed up for the military and is serving… Stanford gets praise because he's smart… I'm the screw up!"_

 _There was then a hard slap heard, causing Ford to subconsciously rub his cheek. Then there was another hard slap, and Ford could hear his twin sniffle._

 _"_ _Go upstairs. Now." Filbrick growled._

 _As Stanley ran upstairs, Ford runs into their room to make it look like he wasn't listening in. Stanley runs in and slams the door behind him, causing the few pictures on their wall to shake._

 _"_ _Lee…" Ford tried to say._

 _"_ _Leave me alone right now, Ford…" Stanley lowly said, his eyes red and puffy from crying and his left cheek was red and swollen from being hit._

* * *

That was the first time Ford had felt so guilty what happened to his brother, that he should've been punished too because he subconsciously encouraged his brother to steal.

It was also the first time that he had heard Stanley admit aloud that he was a screw up, that it was all his fault that their family had been poor. That was probably why as the two grew up he just kept stealing and got in more trouble…

"Ford?" Layla's voice breaks through his thoughts. "You okay? You've been silent for quite some time now…

"Hmm?" Ford glances at her, clearly distracted. In his hand he was holding a photo of him and Stanley in their boat they had found. "I'm sorry, Layla, did you say something?" he asked her.

She then takes the photo from Ford's hand, him trying to get it back. "Is this you and Stanley when you were kids?" she asks him.

"Yeah…" Ford whispers.

She then grins. "Let me guess, the one with the big black glasses is you?" she then chuckles.

Ford's face blushes red. "Yeah… Stanley had glasses too, but he never wore them," he says.

Layla then hands back the photo. "Were you thinking about him?" she gently asks.

"Yeah…" Ford admits. "I was just remembering how my brother got in real trouble for stealing…"

"What did he steal?"

"Money… for us to go on a new rollercoaster they built on the docks where we grew up…" Ford tells her. "He… he felt like he had to in order to make me happy. He'd steal money from people and get ice cream, or buy us a comic… obviously with technology back then our parents didn't know we were going to be twins…"

"He felt that he was a burden, huh?" Layla finishes. "Felt like no matter what he did he would never be good enough, so he just went for broke and did the bad things that people expected of him to do."

Ford looks at her in surprise. "How… would you guess that?" he questions.

"It's psychology," she stated. "But… obviously you still care for him, despite you saying you two had a fight, why else would you have this picture and be thinking of him?"

"Well… he is my _twin_ brother after all…"

She then gives him a smile as she takes his hand and starts running toward a new portal opening in the distance. "And I bet he's thinking of you too…"

* * *

Stan was reading some kind of advanced physics book, something that normally he would never read in a million years, but he had to if it could bring his brother back.

Other books were piled around him, all had been found in Stanford's room. They were on advance math, some engineering, and many things on chemistry. He sat at the small desk that was in the basement behind a glass window, a control panel to his left with various flashing buttons.

After so long he stopped reading and glanced at the picture that he had of him and Stanford on the pier, a rollercoaster being built behind them.

"That was a day…" he murmured. "Hated heights ever since and…" he then rubs his cheek subconsciously. "Well… that doesn't matter… I need to get him back." He then sets the photo to the side and opens one of the books again, him murmuring the words to himself.

In the distance, towards the portal, there was a shadow of a triangle and a gentle echoing of a shrill laugh.

* * *

 **A/N:** I know it doesn't really progress the story much, but it shows that the twins are still thinking of each other.

Also with Stan and Filbrick... sadly back in those times parents did hit their children, my parents can tell me stories all day about it. So, I am sorry for that little scene and its completely wrong for parents to abuse their children.

Thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	18. Summerween and Insanity

**Chapter 18: Summerween and Insanity**

Stan was walking through town when he noticed the townsfolk was putting out carved jack-lanterns out on their front lawns, except they weren't pumpkins… they were watermelons.

"Wait… what?" Stan questioned to himself aloud, putting his hand through his hair. Just as another person put their watermelon out the conman went over by the fence and asked, "Hey, um, excuse me, but what's with the watermelons with the goofy faces on them?"

The person looked at him oddly, then there was recognition on their faces when they saw it was Stan. "Oh, it's for Summerween," they replied.

"Summer… ween?" Stan stated in confusion. "What is that?"

"Well, we like Halloween here so much we like to celebrate it twice a year," the person explained. "Watermelon is in season right now… so that's what we use."

Stan gets a mischievous smile on his face. "So… it's just like Halloween then? Kids dress'n up as whatever and beg for candy?" he asks.

"Yep. It's Halloween, but in June."

Stan thanks the person and goes on his way, already getting excited. When he and Stanford were kids they loved Halloween, they had enjoyed going out trick-or-treating dressed up as some kind of twin themed costume. Suddenly with that thought, Stan's chest ached. He remembered one year that he and Stanford dressed like a cop and a robber, Stanford the cop and Stan the robber.

He shakes his head, trying to clear the wisps of memory. As he continued walking through town, he noticed there was a small store that was dedicated to Summerween. He goes inside and sees a bunch of decorations, candy, and even costumes of various kinds. People were walking around, kids excitedly running to the costume aisle and picking out their costumes.

Stan sighs at the sight of kids laughing and messing with each other. Ever since he was younger he always did like the idea of having a family. But that dream died a long time ago when he was forced on the streets a few months shy of turning eighteen. He couldn't support himself let alone a family.

What Stan always wanted to do was sail around the world with Stanford for a few years. He knew he and his twin weren't always going to be together, but he wanted the beginning of their adulthoods to start off with an adventure of a lifetime. Afterwards he would've started a family, telling his kids and beyond stories of him and his twin sailing around the world…

But that didn't happen. And it most likely will never happen.

Stan was in his thirties now, even if he wanted to start a family still he feels he wouldn't be up for it. He didn't have the energy he did over ten years ago when he was heisting in Columbia. And what would he tell his kids?

 _Oh yeah, you can't see Uncle Stanford because he's in another dimension._

 _Oh, I can't come to your football game tonight, I still have to try to get Uncle Stanford back form another dimension._

Stan frowns at himself. Yeah, he would never have a family of his own, he already figured that when he started living in his car by the time he was twenty-five.

He then walks through the store, picking up a bag of candy or two, maybe he'll pass some out to the kids if they stop by. When he saw the adult costumes, he couldn't help but grin mischievously. Halloween had always been his favorite holiday, him dressing up as some kind of monster and going around scaring some unexpected people.

So with that thought he went and bought a werewolf mask, he was after all Mr. Mystery, he had to have something special at the Shack for this Gravity Falls holiday… So he buys a few decorations and heads back home. He decorates the Shack, making it look even more haunted than usual, and he went and added a few new attractions.

Outside the Shack there were the Jack-O-Melons that he had carved in various expressions. The insides glowed a brilliant pink because of the watermelons' magenta interior, the flames dancing within casting a light pink shadow of light.

During the night he had the Shack open, which was something he never did, and did a special "Summerween" tour. He would start off scaring the group wearing his werewolf mask, getting a reaction out of the kids. Once everyone had a good scare and laugh he would do the tour, showing off the new attractions. Afterwards he would give the kids some candy and give a wave as the kids would run off saying thanks.

When the night of fun and fright was over, Stan closed down his Summerween Tour, him cleaning up some of his decorations. As he was shutting his blinds and drapes, seeing the last of the people heading off to go home, he couldn't help but think what Stanford thought of Summerween.

He probably didn't know it existed… just like every other Gravity Falls holiday.

"You really shut yourself in, Sixer…" Stan mutters to himself as he went to the cabinet and grabbed a bottle of whisky and a glass. As he pours the whisky into the glass, he could swear he heard some kind of laughter. He sets the bottle aside and raises a brown brow, looking around skeptically. "Hello?" he calls out, then he mentally hit himself, because why would he call out to a potential intruder in his – Stanford's – home?

Slowly, Stan grabs a knife from one of the drawers and walks around the house. His eyes were wide to examine all around him, the knife held up defensively. Sadly he was used to that kind of position…

Suddenly, there was a shadow of a triangle, and for some reason it looked like it was wearing a tall hat of some kind. Stan rubs his eyes with his free hand, the image gone.

"Maybe… maybe it's because of the holiday…" Stan whispers to himself, lowering the knife.

As he puts the knife away, that same shadow looms behind him…

Stan spins around, expecting something to be there. But there was nothing…

"I'm going crazy… is this what Stanford was going through…?" Stan mumbles, putting a hand to his head. He then gives a yawn, him becoming tired from the long day.

What _did_ Stanford go through…?

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm really sorry this was short and again didn't really progress, I'm still moving into my apartment and still setting things up! I hope you guys understand!

Thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	19. Bill's Growing Army

**Chapter 19: Bill's Growing Army**

Ford blinks open his eyes in one of the secret alcoves that Layla had found, this one being bare and unused for quite some time as it wasn't a common one, the two sleeping on a wad of blankets with their trench coats as their makeshift blanket for on top of them.

There was a ruckus down the alleyway, him sitting up and putting an ear to the hologram wall that shielded them from the outside world, ignoring the slight hum of the technology. Outside there was a mixture of languages, tones, and dialects. Some beings sounded happy, while others sounded like they wanted to rip something apart in anger.

"What is it?" Layla yawned, rubbing her eyes. Her jet black hair was sticking up in random places, a cowlick on the top of her head that refused to stay down no matter how much she patted it down. There were bags under her eyes, as did Ford's as well, most likely from sleeping with one eye open to jump at the sound of danger.

"I… don't know," Ford replied honestly. "It sounds like there is some kind of assembly out there…"

Layla crouches next to him, putting an ear by the hologram wall herself to hear what was going on. "I can make some of it out…" she whispered. "It sounds like… there is a recruitment of some sort…"

"Recruitment?" Ford questioned. "For what?"

Layla narrows her eyes, Ford practically seeing the gears turn in her head as she mentally translated the multiple languages. "An… army…" she finally confirmed.

Ford blinks. "Army…?" he echoed. "For whom?"

"Bill Cipher…"

Within a few minutes they had packed their few belongings and left the safety of the alcove, them looking around to make sure no one saw them. The two humans walked down the alleyway, them now seeing a crowd gathered. With a simple look at each other they put on their goggles and scarves to cover their features. Soon they were in a middle of a mass of different species.

In front of them on what seemed like a stage was none other than Bill Cipher himself.

Bill Cipher was literally just a yellow triangle, with a brick pattern on the lower half of his body. He had one giant eye in the middle, but he had no mouth, so as he spoke his body seemed to flash. Because he was triangle and had no humanoid form his apparel was just a tall, black top hat with a bow tie. The demon had simple black arms and legs, four fingers out each hand and his feet looked like a child's drawing as they were just simple black ovals.

As funny and harmless as he looked… he was super dangerous.

"Well, well, well, looks like we got a second wave of a crowd here!" Bill's shrill voice bellowed, him levitating in the air, him looking like he was laying down in a casual manner. In his right hand he twirled a black cane, sometimes it hitting one of his henchmen occasionally in the head, which he laughed humorously. "So… I'm looking for some tough people, just like you folks!" he continued saying, him pointing his cane to the crowd, Ford's heart pounding when the cane hovered over him for that brief moment. "As we all know, I'm looking for a Stanford Filbrick Pines, he also goes by Ford… he's the only human male in these parts of the multiverse now since little Layla Bartek murdered her father."

Ford felt Layla stiffen next to him.

"But… a deal has also gone bad between myself and Magum," Bill stated, his voice still upbeat sounding, but the monsters in the crowd shifted uncomfortably at the mention of Magum's name. Bill noticed it as well. "Oh… _come on!_ " Bill's normally yellow form turns into a deep red, his white eye turning black with a red pupil, red flames with a white glow licking across his hands. _"Magum made a deal with me and he didn't go through… so now I need some tough people to help take him out!"_

 _Take… out Magum?_ Ford thought curiously. _How can a dream demon even beat a telepathic demon?_

 _"_ _So… who wants to join my ranks to destroy that two-timing, human-girl-loving, demon? If he could make a bad deal with_ ME _of all demons, then he definitely will not be afraid of getting rid of all of_ you _!"_

The crowd falls silent, the monsters glancing at each other. Layla was hearing what they were saying, confirming that they agree with Bill about Magum.

"If more monsters and demons join Bill's ranks… this could be bad news for Earth." Layla murmurs to Ford.

"But… remember, the portal in Gravity Falls should have shorted out and ran out of fuel after I went through… unless someone opens it again or someone else builds another portal, there is no way that Bill can gain a physical form on Earth." Ford tells her.

"What about your brother?" Layla then asks him.

Ford looks at her, baffled. With his goggles there was no way that she could see that his brown eyes were wide with shock. "What do you mean?" he questions her, his tone confused.

Layla sighs with exasperation. "You're brother… you're _twin_ brother… wouldn't he be worried and want to try to get you back?" she then elaborates.

Ford rolls his eyes with irritation. "He's… not intelligent like myself… he could never figure out the portal," he angrily replies. "Also he only has one of my journals, the other two are hidden, so he couldn't even read the instructions on how to open the portal," the more he talked the more he grew angry and bitter at Stanley, remembering that he was the reason why Ford was there in the first place. "And if by some damn miracle he _did_ find my other journals, there is no way in hell he'd even begin to understand all the engineering, chemical balances, physics, and even nuclear energy to get the damn portal to work."

Layla then grabs him by the arm and drags him away from the crowd, the monsters then cheering in agreement to join Bill. After getting away from the loud crowd she took off her goggles, her face scrunched up in anger, her eyes narrow and her electric blue eyes burning with an intense fire of rage. Both her hands were balled up into fists, and without even thinking she punched Ford in the gut, causing him to groan and crumple over in pain.

"Are you _serious_ right now?!" she screeches at him, her voice wavering in rage. "He's your _brother_! You don't think he'd try _anything_ if not _everything_ to get you back!? At least you _have_ someone on the other side that is most likely willing to risk the safety of the world for you!" Her body was shaking violently. "That was so insulting to him!"

"You obviously don't understand-" Ford growls.

"I don't have siblings, so I don't," Layla shouts at him. "BUT, you were talking in your sleep when you were hurt about how you two would spend after school or your summer days rebuilding an old boat… obviously you care about your brother and he cares about you… you said before that he got in trouble because he stole money so that _you_ could have fun! Your brother is willing to risk it all for you… and you won't give him the benefit of the doubt!"

"WELL I DON'T WANT HIM TO OPEN THE PORTAL!" Ford then screams. "I'M NOT _WORTH_ THE WORLD GETTING DESTROYED BY THAT TRIANGULAR BASTARD!" He was then panting, his face red, and his hands were shaking. For a moment he sounded just like his father with his yelling… especially when he yelled at Stanley for getting in trouble. "I've never put my brother down for not being super intelligent… and right now I'm happy that he isn't… because Bill _cannot_ get to Earth… and right now with him being distracted with Magum and myself he won't go into the Mindscape of the people to try to trick them for the time being."

Layla gives him a look of pity. "Well… apparently Stanley thinks you're worth something, Stanford," she simply says, all the anger in her voice gone, now she just spoke with a monotone like she no longer cared, but it also looked like she wanted to say something else but decided against it. She gives a sigh and goes back down the alleyway to hear the commotion of the monsters willing to give their life to Bill Cipher and go against Magum.

Ford processed what she said and gives a sigh himself, then he winced at the pain in his abdomen.

 _Damn… she can throw a punch…_

 _"_ _And thank you all for joining me! Because as soon as Magum is out of the way we can get to Earth for one big party! I already got my eye on a certain someone to help us…!"_ Bill's voice blared, Ford's full attention now processing that sentence.

 _A… certain someone?_

His train of thought was interrupted when Layla grabbed his arm to drag him away. "Let's go before Bill notices that we were the only ones that didn't join him… he'll put two and two together and figure out who we are," her voice was barely above a whisper.

As Bill cackled to his new followers, Ford was being dragged off by Layla. She hadn't said a word since they had left, and Ford had a feeling it was because of their argument. He decided not to talk himself, afraid of making the tension between them worse. It seemed like every time they would be on a level ground something would spark and a wildfire of disagreement will get between them.

 _Sounds like Ma and Pop…_ Ford mentally laughed at himself. He had a grin on his face, but immediately shook his head to get rid of it, realizing that he just compared him and Layla to a married couple. He was still being pulled by her, her hand warm around his forearm, sending a tingling sensation through him. Ford could feel his heartrate increase, perspiration on his brown and his hands feeling suddenly clammy.

"Um… Layla?" he gently called to her. She seemed to be lost in deep thought as it took a few more tries to get her intention. When she finally stopped and gave him a blank look he just said simply, "Can… can you let go of my arm now please?"

The woman did as he asked, her not even realizing that she still had a tight grip on him from before. She then puts on her goggles once again and adjusts her scarf so that only her upturned nose and freckles were the only things showing on her face, the goggle obscuring the world of her eyes.

"L-Layla…?" Ford stammered. "I'm sorry for yelling at you back there… and it's not that I think my brother is an _idiot,_ because he isn't… he's smarter than me in a lot of things that I couldn't even imagine… it's just… I'm not worth it. After all I have done, I deserve to be here…you certainly don't deserve to be here," he seemed to be rambling, him putting a hand behind his head and scratching, something he did quite often when he was in an awkward conversation or nervous.

He couldn't tell what expression was on her face because of her getup, but she laughed, her laugh sounding high and bell-like. She then removes her goggles and scarf, her giving a smile, which honestly made Ford's heart race for a moment.

"Well… your brother probably thinks you're worth it… and so do I." Layla then stated. Her face then suddenly blushes a red, and before Ford could question her she was putting back on her disguise and was walking ahead of him, ripping down whatever wanted posters there were of them.

Ford adjusts his own goggles and scarf to make sure his face was hidden. As he walked behind Layla he noticed a few monsters staring at them, glancing between the two as they walked, a few murmuring and pointing at them.

One of them seemed to have glowing yellow eyes… and it gave a sadistic smirk as Ford passed.

Bill Cipher was watching.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello everyone! I'm really sorry for the lack of updates, this is because I am still in the process of moving and I have to unpack everything, set up internet, buy food and furniture, all while still going to work full time and even on my days off. I am trying to write ahead a few chapters so I can just post them, so please bare with me!

Also, check out my new Deviantart, which is also under the name SkyeHendersen where I am posting the FULL covers of these FanFictions. The only one that doesn't have a cover is the short stories one since I'm still practicing my drawing I want to draw the cover where Dipper and Mabel are as seen in "Cipher's Reign".

There also might be spoilers to upcoming fanfictions and there are also thumbnails for my YouTube videos that I edited on Photoshop.

Thanks for reading as always! And thank you for understanding that I am adulting _too_ much right now!

~Skye Hendersen~


	20. Being Watched

**Chapter 20: Being Watched**

He was handing Layla a few things for her to carry in the basket she was holding, it filled to the brim with different kinds of food for them to eat.

Of course Layla was going to steal them, they didn't have whatever currency this dimension had. Even though no one suspected of them stealing anything, Ford still felt as if he was being watched. Paranoid, he kept glancing around, him feeling like he was back in Gravity Falls, slowly descending into madness.

"Ford," Layla hissed at him as she put something in his hand to put in his coat. "Stop looking around like that… you're gonna make us looks suspicious…"

Ford then points out, "We're two people dressed in black trench coats, wearing goggles, and we are wearing scarves. How we are not on the floor being shot at I have no clue."

Layla slaps his arm. "Well, don't jinx it, dummy!" she tells him as she continues putting things in the basket and her coat.

Still, Ford had an uneasy feeling in his chest. While Layla wasn't looking he did keep looking around, seeing if someone was watching him. More than a few times he thought he saw a pair of glowing gold eyes. He shakes his head at the sight of this, but the eyes are gone.

He scratches his face, feeling how thick his stubble was, and he continues to follow Layla and put things in his coat. Slowly, but surly, he was getting better with stealing, although he had a feeling he'd never be as successful as Stanley when it came to that…

The thought of his twin and the argument that he and Layla had made his chest ache. Growing up the two were always compared to each other by their father.

 _Stanford, why can't you throw a punch like your brother, Stanley?_

 _Stanley, why can't you be as smart as Stanford?_

But it seemed as kids Stanley was always getting the short end of the stick. The boy was only praised for his fighting skills, and really nothing more, by their father. Whenever they would get grades back from tests, even if Stanley managed to get a C he was still scolded for not being as intelligent as Ford. That was probably what made Stanley just stop trying in school, him thinking that he could never live up to his twin, so he just slacked and only got good grades in gym and woodshop.

Ford then sighs to himself, thinking that maybe he shouldn't have bashed his brother about not being as intelligent as him. Stanley was smart… he just didn't apply it very well. When he took a standardized test he actually ranked above average, proving that he was smart, but Stanley just thought that he was screw up and had to act out the part that he felt was handed to him. In a way it was Ford's fault too… he really never encouraged his brother to keep up with his academics, he helped give his brother the role of being the "dumb twin".

The back of his neck suddenly tingles… like he was being watched.

Ford spins around, trying to find whoever was watching him. Oddly, there was no one there, which made Ford quite uneasy. He absolutely hated it when he felt like he was being watched, or being followed, or just in general feeling like he was being stalked. It made his paranoia grow just like back in Gravity Falls, his hands beginning to sweat as he glances around him through his goggles.

A soft cackle.

Ford spins around, knocking something over which caused him to get yelled at by some merchant. He mumbles an apology and picks the items up, but not before snagging a few and putting them in his coat. Slowly he walks away from the stand, but he thought he heard his name so he spun around once again. Again… no one.

"Ford!"

Instinctively, Ford does a side-sweep behind him, tripping whoever was behind him. He hears a grunt and a moan that was a mixture of pain and annoyance. When Ford looked down he saw that it was Layla sprawled out on the ground, her goggles knocked off and her scarf no longer covering her face. Whatever was in her coat had spilled out, causing merchants to start yelling and grabbing for some sort of weapon.

"Oh shit!" Ford gasps as he offers her hand. "I'm so sorry! I didn't realize it was you!"

She grasps his hand and hoists herself up, but she then grips his hand tight and starts running. Ford gasps as he was suddenly tugged, him looking behind and seeing some sort of pistol being aimed at him.

"Told you not to make us look suspicious!" Layla growls as she and Ford duck into an alleyway. She then grabs for her gun at the holster at her side, it was one of the newer pistols that she had stolen back when Ford stole the infinite sided die. Layla pops up and aims to shoot, Ford following her lead by getting his own gun out.

His gun was much like hers, the same sleek dark grey look, some blue lights on the barrel to accent its design. However, he had made a few modifications to his while he was on watch while Layla slept. Ford had managed to add new plasma beam intensities, some being either narrower or wider; he also managed to add a few elemental things such as freezing as well.

"Sorry!" he apologized frantically as he just barely dodged a red plasma beam that was precariously close to face. "I was distracted…"

"With what!?" Layla demands, her shooting her gun and hitting a merchant monster square in the chest, causing a sudden spray of dark green blood to cover the others next to him. The woman saw this as an opportunity and taps Ford on the shoulder and gestures with her head to run while they were distracted.

As the two ran there was a shimmer in the distance, a new portal opening. It was against a solid wall, but they knew they wouldn't harmed in any way and ran at it with full speed. The two humans made it through and the portal closed behind them, the two panting and trying to catch their breath.

Layla panted, "Mind telling me… what the hell happened back there?"

Ford glances at her, noting that her usually pale face was flushed a deep crimson, whether it be from running or anger he didn't know. "I… I thought I was being watched by Bill…" he admits, him glancing around as if he was expecting the dream demon to appear before him.

Layla glances around too, her eyes widening slightly. "Y-you think we are being followed…?" she asks Ford, her voice wavering with worry.

"Possibly…" Ford informs her, his tone equal to hers. "He could've noticed who we were at the plaza." He noticed that she was glancing around quite nervously, making his paranoia seem like it was nothing. "Layla…? Have you… dealt with Bill before?"

"Once," she says curtly, making it clear that she didn't want to talk about it.

"Layla…" he says softly.

"I'll tell the day you do, Poindexter."

Ford raises a brow, clearly agitated. "I told you, I met him and he tricked me!" he snaps.

"There's more to that… I can tell." Layla insists. "You're a smart guy, you simply didn't get 'tricked', there was something more to the point where you cut him off and felt betrayed."

"You want to know!?" Ford snaps again, gesturing his hand in the air in exasperation. "I found his stupid wheel and spell to summon him in a cave in Gravity Falls, and despite the warnings saying not to I did anyway! I was desperate as I hit a roadblock in my anomaly research…! So, I made a deal with him… I let him into my mind where he had full possession over me to aid me, and he told me the portal would be the answer!

"I thought he was my _friend_! But he used me! That's when I descended into madness… I felt like I couldn't trust anyone… I've began hearing and seeing things… I needed someone… so I invited Stanley and he came to my house. I was so paranoid and worked up that I aimed a crossbow at my _twin brother_! Bill had me so worked up that I could've _killed_ him! Stanley and I got into a fight, the portal activated, and I'm here now!"

Ford was panting when he finished his rant, he had been pacing and gripping his hands in his brown hair. He had an insane look in his eyes, as if remembering what happened was bringing the madness back.

"You… let him into your mind!?" Layla shouts in shock. "W-why… you let a _demon_ possess you…!"

"Now you know why I have trust issues…" Ford mutters darkly. "Well… actually my brother betrayed it first."

"What did he do?"

"Nuh-uh," Ford chastised, pointing at her. "I told you about Bill… now you tell me yours." His eyes were narrowed angrily.

Layla glares at him, her expression hard. Finally, she gives a sigh and her face relaxes. "My father let Bill into his mind too… he was possessed. Bill… _enjoys_ killing, very sadistically and inhumane… My father wanted test subjects for his research, but he never had the guts to get them until Bill came along. Even after Bill was done possessing him my father would go and torture his subjects.

"I was little… I want to say about eight years old when I was dragged to one of those… murder baths," Layla's eyes softened, as if she was going to cry. "Bill suggested to my father that children may be better subjects as their cells were still technically new and fresh… and I witnessed that. I never wanted to believe my father would agree to it, so I just made it seem like Bill was the bad guy. But… it isn't true… it never was."

Ford instantly felt terrible for her, his heart aching. That's why she freaked out about Bill possibly following them. That was why she freaked out when he said Bill possessed him.

"I can assure you…" Ford whispered gently and honestly. "That I have never killed anyone under Bill's control, or has he influenced me to kill anyone without him possessing me. And I never intend to…"

Layla gives him a look of doubt. "Are… you sure?" she slowly asks, timid.

Ford gives her a gentle smile. "Trust me," he says simply, him offering a hand.

The woman gives her own smile and takes his hand.

They went and explored the dimension they ended up in after going through the portal, noticing that they were in a very large city landscape. The buildings were tall and a stone gray, but instead of being straight up they were built as curves and diagonals. Inhabitants of the dimension, which they looked a lot like the mythical creature Chimera from Greek mythology, crowded the streets busily, often bumping into the two human travelers.

"Have you ever been here?" Ford asks Layla in a hushed whisper.

"Once or twice…" she admits. "I don't know my way around though." As another inhabitant went to bump into her she avoids his tail flawlessly. "Whatever happens though… don't get bit by them or bit by their tails." She points at the tails, them having a black ball on the end with beady red eyes with a mouth that occasionally opened to reveal sharp teeth and a wicked purple tongue.

Ford was then intrigued. "Why not?" he asks her curiously, his scientific mind now spinning.

"Because it's poison," she replied curtly, annoyed that he would be so fascinated by it. "It won't harm them, but it will potentially kill us."

"Potentially?"

"You either fight through the poison to survive… or you die."

Ford couldn't believe that. "Isn't there any medicine or antidote for it?" he questions, figuring maybe they should steal some just in case.

"No." Layla doesn't say another word and continues on slightly ahead of him.

As Layla walked ahead of him, he kept an eye out on her and himself, making sure he didn't get whacked by a tail and get poisoned. Layla turns around for a brief moment, seeing if Ford was still behind her. Her electric blue eyes widened, causing Ford to get confused and his confusion deepened when she started running toward him.

Ford then turns around, seeing what Layla was freaking out about, when he saw a pair of glowing golden eyes in front of him in the form of one of the monsters.

 _"_ _Hello, Fordsy! I can't believe you're still alive here!"_

Ford was speechless and tried to take a step back, but the tail of the monster Bill was possessing wrapped around him, making him immobile. The scientist tried to struggle, but the grip only got tighter and tighter, making him grunt in pain. The head of the tail was then in front of his face, it opening and closing its moth with audible clinks from its teeth.

 _"_ _Let's see… should I give you a torturous death or keep you alive until you beg for it?"_

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Layla then screams, taking her gun out and shooting the Bill possessed monster in the face. The monster screeched painfully, the last moment its eyes losing its golden glow, and a thick golden blood pulsed from its face. The tail that gripped around Ford was released and he fell to the ground. Layla runs to him and helps him up, but not before the dying beast lashed its tail and hit Layla on her right side. She grunted in pain, but nonetheless helped Ford to his feet and the two start running.

As they ran, some of the members of Bill's head henchmen were blocking their path, one them being a pair of giant teeth that looked like those plastic joke ones. Another was a tall, bright magenta colored being that had a feminine shape to it, its head looking like old gargoyle statues but with one eye in the center and sharp, white teeth. Pink flames licked up its arms and legs, it looking almost like a design to special gloves and leggings, but they were real flames.

They weren't going to get past them…

Ford grabs Layla's hand and dashes to the left, going through a door that looked like it led through some type of restaurant. The two ran between the tables, knocking them down, and the sounds of shattering plates roaring behind them. It seemed to slow down the two demons though as Ford and Layla made it through the kitchen and out the back door within a short minute. There was a wall in front of them in the alleyway they exited the building to, so they had to quickly scale it, although it was extremely difficult to its curved structure.

Once they were at the top, that was when Layla collapsed, a hand to her side. She was panting heavily, and her pale face took on a sickly grey color. Ford skidded to a halt and turns around, seeing her state.

"Layla!" Ford shouts. "What's wrong?!" He notices that her hands were covering a spot on her trench coat, so he gently removes it, revealing a small hole in the coat. He moves the coat fabric aside and sees her navy blue sweat with a small hole but heavy with blood and something else. "I'm going to lift up your sweater slightly to see it okay?" he tells her, but he didn't wait for a response as he just lifts the sweater enough to see a small, but highly inflamed wound.

The wound was pulsating blood, but also a thick dark green pus. There was a set of small puncture holes, small green lines slowly spreading from them to get to the other parts of her body. Some lines were already thick and crawling up toward her heart… and they were running so her heart rate was spreading it.

Poison.

"Oh no… oh shit!" Ford gasps in horror. There was a shout from behind him, Bill's henchmen starting to scale the building after them. "Shit…!"

"Leave… me… behind…" Layla gasped between her pants, her eyes were beginning to flutter.

"Like hell I will!" Ford stubbornly replies. He then gently picks her up, her in the bridal carry position, her arms weakly wrapping around his neck. She lays her head to his chest, her soft moans of pain and distress being muffled. She was extremely light in weight, so him holding her was effortless, and it made it easier for him to start running on the top of the building to get to the roof door and descend the stairs. It seemed to be some kind of apartment or some other housing building, and Ford broke down one of the doors to make it look like he ran in there.

He goes through the building actually finding one of the model ones to show someone how the space was. Immediately he goes in and shut the door with his foot behind him and quickly sets Layla on something that resembled a couch before he went and locked the door and set a chair underneath the door handle. For a moment he stood there trying to catch his breath, his heart slamming against his chest as blood roared in his ears. Hopefully they would be safe.

A soft moan of pain interrupted his thoughts and he ran his way back to Layla. Her face was a deathly pale, her electric blue eyes seemed to be dull, and her black hair was mated to her forehead from sweat. She was shivering violently and when Ford put a hand to her forehead it was burning up.

Ford explored the model apartment, seeing if he could find any blankets, and he finds a room with a very large bed. He kept forgetting that the inhabitants if this dimension where lion-sized creatures, so of course the beds would be large. There were thick blankets on it, and the bed looked soft and inviting. Once again he made his way back to Layla, him gently picking her up, although she moaned in protest that it hurt her too much. He makes his way back into the room and sets her in the bed, moving the blankets around to cover her. Because of her small frame it looked like a baby being placed in a king sized bed.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Ford whispered to her. "It's my fault… I wasn't paying attention, I should've ran as soon as I seen your face when you looked at me the way you did… just fight this okay?"

Layla looks at him, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "I'm… fine…" she insists weakly.

"No, you're not." Ford sternly tells her. "You just to rest a bit… you'll be fine…" He didn't know how she would be fine, there was no antidote. Like Layla had said you fight it and live, or you die. Gently, he takes her left and holds it with both his hands, all twelve fingers wrapped around her small hand.

"I'm cold…" she barely whispered. Her body was now weakly shaking.

Ford didn't want to leave her side in this state. So, without thinking he climbs into the massive bed with her, pushing his body against hers so that his body heat will help warm her. He even gets under the blankets himself, trapping his body heat with hers. Her shaking stops, and she instinctually curls up next to him.

"You're… warm…" she murmurs, her eyes only half open. Ford wraps an arm around her, his hand gingerly on her waist where her wound was. "Thank… you… I'm going to… sleep now…"

"Just promise me you'll wake up…"

"I will…" her eyes flutters shut and she starts weakly snoring.

Ford kept his arm around her, ignoring the tingling of his arm falling asleep. Occasionally she moved and adjusted herself, but she always kept getting closer and closer to him, eventually wrapping her arms around him as if he were a giant teddy bear. So, he lied next to her, watching her sleep, praying to whatever gods he threw away long ago that she would wake up and be fine.

Despite her faults, and despite his faults, he didn't want to lose her. Every time he looked at her while they were traveling he felt something lighten in his chest, or his heart raced, or he felt like he was back home and happy.

His heart pounds at the realization that he may be in love with her, something he never experienced before in his life. With that he tightens his arm around her, careful of her wound, and with his free hand gently brushed her hair back away from her face. He then shuts his eyes, feeling truly relaxed, something he hasn't felt in quite some time, and falls asleep next to her.


	21. Woodstick Festival

**Chapter 21: The Woodstick Festival**

Late July finally arrived in Gravity Falls, and it was a hot one, reminding Stan of the summers back in New Jersey.

Just like every day Stan goes and opens the Mystery Shack, just like every day he stood there and greeted his tourists with an enthusiastic manner, and just like every day tourists left with some Mystery Shack item. For some reason there seemed to be a lot more people this time around…

A group of teenagers walked in, them dressed like back when some people Stan's age used to during the late sixties early seventies. It is 1982… why are they dressed like it was over a decade ago.

"Welcome to the Mystery Shack!" Stan greets. "What's with the getup?" he then asks as he gestures to them.

"For the Woodstick Festival," one of the girls replied.

"The… what!?" Stan exclaims in shock, his brown eyes widening.

"The Woodstick Festival… you know, music, food, just hanging out," one of the boys said.

"So… like Woodstock." Stan muses. When he was a kid he had wanted to go, New York was just a simple drive away from New Jersey. Of course his father never allowed him or Stanford to go there, saying that it was too filled with hippies, drugs, and… other things.

"Yeah, I guess… but it is a lot safer for the younger people than that," another girl explains, giving a slight shrug. Both the girls were wearing long white dresses and flower crowns of white daisies in their hair. The guys dressed in bell bottom pants with simple white shirts and wore tie dyed headbands with simple brown sandals.

 _Oh… I highly doubt it. I was a teenaged boy once too._ Stan thought darkly as he gives a slight glance to the boys that were high-fiving each other. The sight of that made him think of "High-Six"…

"So, what brings you kids here then?" Stan asks the girls as the boys went around looking for something.

"We're just killing time… mister…?"

"Well, here they call me 'Mr. Mystery'," Stan tells the girl.

"Oh… okay," she then glances at her friend for a moment, then her gaze goes back to Stan, him noticing they were a bright blue, almost like the sky. "I'm sorry, I just didn't know. We are from the neighboring town Wood Barrow."

The boys then looked like they were about to snag something, but Stan caught them quickly. He knew how to steal… he'd been doing it since he was four years old, but these kids were making a mockery of it. "Alright you two, out of my shop!" Stan then growls, feeling his expression hardening into a scowl. The boys raised their hands, a few items falling from them, and they backed away from Stan towards the exit. Once they left Stan glances at the two girls, both their eyes wide with shock. "O-" he was about to say, but was immediately interrupted by the bright, blue-eyed girl.

"I'm so sorry! We didn't know they were going to do that!" she exclaims loudly, her voice shaking with fear. She looked like she was terrified.

Stan was a professional conman, he had been for years. He knew liars very well, his own mother was a professional liar, and by looking at that young girl he could instantly tell she was telling the truth. He raises a hand, showing that he means no harm, or yelling, to them and he goes behind the counter and grabs a couple of cylinders from the bottom shelf. Stan then hands each girl one, them looking curiously at them.

What they were given was mace, or pepper spray. Stan kept a few of them in case some wise guy tried to rob him. Of course Stan had a few guns as well, and a few knives… but pepper spray brings less attention. He felt bad that the girls were alone with those two knuckleheads of boys, he couldn't just send them off without some way to defend themselves.

"If those two try anything funny with you two… something you don't want…" Stan began, him feeling extremely awkward that he was telling two girls who he didn't even know what to do if they were attacked in some way. "Just spray them in the eyes with those. It'll blind them temporarily and you can run and get help. Or… just in general, if anyone bad is messing with you just spray and run." He put a hand behind his head, scratching nervously, the two girls giving a small grin.

"Thanks, Mr. Mystery," the bright-eyed girl sincerely said. "We will heed your advice." Then with a small wave they go to the exit. "Oh… and I noticed your sign says you close at six, the first set of bands begin playing at seven, hope to see you there!" The bell dings as she opens the door, her and her friend leaving. Stan had went to the window and saw the girls immediately start yelling at the boys, them looking terrified beyond reason.

"They'll be fine…" Stan mused with a smile, him giving a small chuckle as he went and put the almost stolen items away in their rightful spots.

Six came and right on cue Stan closes up the Mystery Shack, flipping the open sign to close. He glances at the clock and gives a shrug. What the hell, he'll go to the Woodstick Festival, he did participate in the other ones after all so what was the harm?

He gets dressed in more casual wear, a simple white t-shirt and long, thin material pants to stay cool but also not get eaten alive by mosquitoes, and a pair of hiking boots to walk through the muddy landscape from the recent rains. The event was being taken place in a large plot of land that was about a mile away from downtown Gravity Falls, it being an amphitheater that had enough land for two football fields. Despite being a small town, especially a town barely no one has ever heard of, the place was practically packed to the brim, filled with every kind of person imaginable.

Stan didn't go into the crowds, he preferred not to. Instead he stayed at the edge, listening to band on stage. It wasn't his taste in music, but he can't knock the people as they had great talent. He did see the bright-eyed girl again, him giving a wave and she returned it with a smile, her left hand gripping the pepper spray tightly as her right held onto her friend's hand. This kind of event wasn't his kind of thing as it was indeed geared to much younger audiences, but he still enjoyed himself.

 _Although I have a feeling when I'm older I'm gonna hate this… I'm gonna turn into Dad I swear…_ Stan thought to himself as he headed back home. The thought of his dad made his stomach churn, him feeling sick, and the second part about him ending up like his father made him almost vomit on the spot. His father was always a strict man, Stan knew this, but that didn't mean that Stan didn't try to push limits…

As a kid Stan would always just try to push a little harder just to see what his father would do when very angry. Sometimes it wasn't the best decision as it left a young Stan the inability to sit properly for an hour or so. But Stan still pushed…

Of course his father had some good points to be strict, after all Stan was stealing since he was four, so he was obviously a lot tougher on Stan to try to correct the boy's behavior. Stan was even put in boxing along with Stanford, something that cost quite a pretty penny so the two complied, so he would toughen up but also hopefully be using his time to not steal.

But how that situation was handled over ten years ago… that wasn't being strict, that was straight up abuse.

Stan made a mistake… he caused Stanford's big time project to break, even though he made sure it was still running before he left thinking it should be fine, and cost him admission to a high technical school. Stan didn't mean to do break it… he just wanted to sail with his brother just like they had planned since they were children. He didn't want to imagine a future without his twin just yet… but at age seventeen, just a few months shy of graduating high school (although barely) and turning eighteen.

For over ten years Stan was going across the country trying to make a fortune like his father wanted him to for costing Stanford his dream college. But whatever Stan did… it blew up in his face. He went to jail on multiple occasions, he's been in trunks of cars and truck beds and had to figure a way out or he was going to be killed, and he's seen the bad sides of doing drugs and alcohol when things were almost too unbearable.

Stan knew he didn't have as bright of a future as his twin, but that didn't mean that he couldn't get a nice steady job at some factory on the assembly line after doing his sailing. He felt that he had to make a lot of money quick or that his father would never let him back in the family.

 _Why should I care anymore?_ Stan thought bitterly as he slams and locks the front door behind him of the house. _The man obviously never really cared for me… I'm the screw up, they were expecting Stanford, not me… He didn't even hold a funeral service of any kind for me when I killed myself off!_ Stan's hands were in tight fist, shaking, and his jaw clenched so tightly that he thought his teeth might break. _If he dropped dead tomorrow I wouldn't give a shit!_

With his eyes narrowed angrily he gets ready for bed and settles for the night. Even in his sleep he was still fuming, him waking up every couple of hours to work on the portal only to leave after fifteen minutes to go back to bed.

The morning light wasn't what woke Stan up the next day, or his alarm, but it was the sound of the phone ringing. Once the ringing ended it would pick right up again, a never ending cycle it seemed like. Stan looked at the alarm clock and it was seven in the morning, about an hour early that he would normally wake up.

Finally after the third time hearing the cycle of ringing repeating, Stan goes to the kitchen and answers the phone gruffly, as he was still tired.

"Hello?" he mumbles in the receiver.

 _"_ _Stanford?!"_ immediately Stan recognizes his mother's voice, so he clears his throat to try to sound more like his twin. _"Are you there!?"_ her voice was very alarmed sounding, her sounding as if she was going to cry.

"Yeah, Ma, I'm right here." Stan replies.

 _"_ _For a moment you sounded just like Stanley…"_ her voice then crack and Stan could hear her sobs over the phone.

"Mom!?" Stan shouts into the phone, him panicked. "What's wrong? Did something happen!?"

 _"_ _Your father had a heart attack last night and passed away this morning."_

Stan drops the phone, it hitting the ground with a thud, then bouncing back up from the cord and it banged uselessly against the side of the counter. His hand was still in the position of being by his ear, but he was oblivious to the lack of phone. He felt is blood run cold, his eyes were wide with horror and disbelief, sweat on his brow and his hands trembling.

 _No… that's not right… It's just a bad nightmare…_

Filbrick Pines was dead, there was no way to try to amend for past mistakes. Stan hadn't spoken to him in over ten years, and he had no idea how out of touch Stanford was with them. Guild gnawed at Stan, him feeling terrible of what he had thought about his father the night before. He also felt guilty that his mother was going through all of this heartache… first Shermie stopped talking to them, then Stanley got kicked out and lost contact, and then Stanford went to college and cut everyone off to study in the woods…

He caused his mother so much grief all these years, and now he was hitting the nail on the coffin. Stan made his mother lose a son and a husband to death, and there was no way he could help her without blowing his cover of stealing Stanford's identity.

Stan didn't want this day to continue, instead he just wanted to be back at the Woodstick Festival and listening to music he didn't even like, watching people have fun and be full of life.

It sure beat him feeling like a useless piece of shit as he stood in the middle of the kitchen, a frozen statue as there was the distant sound of sobbing from the phone, and silent tears falling down his face.

* * *

 **A/N:** OOOOOOOOH, you guys were expecting to see if Layla was okay, huh? WELP. I'm evil so I did this instead.

Finally I got internet at my new place, so now I will try to do daily updates again going off and on between the two stories. If I miss a day it's probably because of work or I'm getting stuff for my new place done (like cleaning... ugh).

Thank you guys for being so patient with we and this story! And thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	22. Fate of the Heart

**Chapter 22: Fate of the Heart**

The morning light from the massive window crosses Ford's features, him blinking against it and with a free hand fixed his askew glasses on his face.

His left arm was tingly and numb, and when he looked to his left side to see Layla curled up tightly against him. Immediately his heart pounds in his chest and his face flushes red, feeling her slow and calm heartbeat against his body. He has never even kissed a girl let alone sleeping next to them in bed.

With his free hand he brushes some of her stray black hair behind her ears, her giving a small smile in her sleep. She was still very pale, but not as sickly looking as before. Her breathing was calm and slow, no longer ragged and pained like it was the night before. All in all she looked a lot better than the night before. That small smile on her face as she slept made him fight the urge to hold her tight to him.

A soft moan escapes from her as she gently stirs. Layla's eyes fluttered open, her eyes bright and electric blue once again, no longer the dull blue that was suffering before. Her arms tighten around Ford's waist and she nuzzles closer to him and closes her eyes. Suddenly, they fly open and they dart between him and her arms and the way her body was so close to him. Her face blushes into a deep crimson and she suddenly pushes herself away from Ford with a yelp, causing him to fall onto the ground with a loud thud.

"OW!" Ford screams, him rubbing his head as it had smacked against the ground. He looks up to see Layla's electric blue eyes peering over the side of the bed. "What the hell was that for!?" he demands, giving her a hard glare.

"Sorry…" she apologizes, the rest of her face beginning to show, Ford seeing her embarrassed face.

Ford gets up, the bed was actually as tall as to up to his waist, so he had taken quite a fall. There was a noticeable bump on his forehead on the right side. Layla sits up on the bed and adjusts herself to her knees, for once her being able to look straight on to Ford's face equally, her blue eyes gazing into his brown. She makes a grimace at the sight of the bump and gingerly touches it, causing Ford to wince in pain.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to get you hurt…" she tells him softly, her hand still on his bump.

Ford gives her a soft look. "Shouldn't I be the one saying that…?" he asks her sadly. "After all it is because of me that you got poisoned… you almost died."

She gives a small smile, making Ford's heart flutter. "I'm fine… the good news is that I am immune to the poison now," she laughed, her head tilted to the side and her eyes was shut.

And that was when Ford took her face into his hands and presses his mouth to hers, her making a small sound in surprise. Layla's arms wrap around his neck and deepens the kiss, Ford's hands moving from her face to her waist. They pull apart, both panting slightly and hearts racing.

Ford's eyes widened in surprise and moves about an arm's length from her, but his hands were still on his waist. "I-I-I'm sorry…!" he stammers quickly and nervously. "I-I-I-I wasn't th-thinking-!"

Layla then kisses him to cut him off, her arms once again going around his neck, but this time she was gripping his hair as well. When she pulled away from him she gives him a smile. "It's fine… you're actually a bit better when you aren't thinking."

Ford furrows his brow and was about to say something sarcastic when there was a loud sound from outside the room. A roar was heard and things were being thrown about, the sudden loudness causing Layla to jump away from Ford. Ford glances around, trying to find a spot to hide or to escape. He then spots a window and he grabs Layla's hand to tug her along.

"They're wondering why the door was locked when it's a model home…" Layla explains, her ears staining to hear in the other room. "Stanford… did you break us into here?" She then gives him a glare.

"Uh…" Ford stammers. The door handle to the room they were in was then jiggling, so Ford runs to the window with Layla in tow, but she was wobbly and still a little weak from her poisoning. In a matter of seconds he got her on his back in a piggyback position and opens the window wide just as the door opened.

The monsters roared in fury, wondering why their model home was ruined. Ford and Layla were already gone, Ford climbing down the side with the small ledges. Layla was gripping tightly to him, both her arms and legs wrapped around him. Ford was making sure that he was swiftly climbing down while also being as cautious as he could.

Once Ford made it to the ground, he ran down an alleyway to hide themselves. Ford as panting from his exhilarating climb. He was still carrying Layla on his back, her grip still tight on him. He gently set her down, her still wobbly, and he held her hand tightly so she was supported.

"Well… that could've gone worse…" Layla muttered.

"Yeah…" Ford agrees. Is face was a blushed pink, his hand still in Layla's. He honestly couldn't believe that just happened, that he kissed her… "So… about what happened back there… when I…"

Layla replies, "Yes, Ford?"

"Um… I…"

Suddenly something that glowed green next to them and a figure appeared out of it. Rick was there, wearing some kind of cloak, but he still was wearing his lab coat underneath. He had a few guns strapped to his back, but in his hand was the portal gun that he had designed.

"W-w-w-what up, b-b-b-bitches!" Rick drunkenly shouts, causing both Ford and Layla to jump. Rick then glances at them and gives a smirk. "O-o-o-oh, how cute, Sci-Fi and Little Layla are h-h-h-holding hands!"

"Rick!?" Ford yells in surprise. "What are you doing here!?"

Rick gives him a hard glare. "S-s-s-same as you, dumbass, I w-w-w-went through a portal."

Ford lets go of Layla's hand and stalks up to Rick. "No, I mean what are you _doing_ here!? You keep saying you want to go home, but you're still traveling in the multiverse!" he screams. He then points a finger at Rick, clearly furious. "Every damn time you show up Magum isn't far behind…!"

Rick scoffs, "Y-y-y-you think I'm w-w-working for that asshole!?"

Ford gives him a hard glare, his brown eyes looking like a dark stone. In his mind his third journal flashed in his mind… the one that he wrote as he was slowly descending into madness. The one page… "Trust No One".

"Give me a reason that you're not," Ford finally said.

Rick then holds up the portal gun. "The reason why I can't go home is because I am missing a component that has access to the Earth part of multiverse, Bartek had the info hidden somewhere," he tells Ford, his eyes then darting to Layla. "Which I still believe that _she_ has…"

"Why would I have it, Rick!?" Layla demands. "Why would I possibly have it!?"

"Bartek could've implanted in you or something… the man was nuts!" Rick retorts. He then sighs and rubs the corners of his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "Okay, look, I know wherever I go Magum is following… he's following the energy signature of my gun. He keeps following me in hopes into finding you two."

"SO YOU'RE HERE NOW WHY!?" Ford screams angrily at the top of his lungs.

"Because… I got a little bit of information about our 'friend' Bill Cipher." Rick smirks, causing Ford's hard expression to slack into a confused, but intrigued expression.

"Okay, Rick… what is it…?" Ford asks.

Rick then pulls out something from his lab coat and pulls out a yellowed paper. He then unfolds it, revealing a picture. The picture was Bill Cipher in the center, surrounded by a wheel with multiple symbols. A pine tree… a shooting star… a fish-looking crescent shape… a six-fingered hand… there were more as well, but Ford felt and odd connection to those specific ones.

Ford recognized the picture, he'd seen it at the caves he was exploring while he was in Gravity Falls. If only he had heeded the warnings about summoning Bill back then… he probably wouldn't be in this situation now.

 _But then I would not have met Layla…_ that small thought went through his head.

"I know that picture," Ford tells Rick. "It was in Gravity Falls… what of it?"

Rick rolls his eyes. "Okay, s-s-s-s-smart guy, then d-d-d-did you realize that t-t-t-this was a spell to send B-Bill back to his _home dimension?_ "

Ford raises a brown brow. "What… do you mean?" he asks. He knew it was some kind of spell or incantation, but a way to send Bill to his home dimension. But then… why would he do that? Send Bill back to beings just like him…

"Bill was banished from his home dimension…" Layla finally says. "That's what I know… he cannot return there without consequences."

"So… y-y-y-you gather up t-t-these people, and bam!" Rick then hits his fist into Ford's shoulder, it wasn't hard but it still surprised the brown haired man. "Good bye, Bill!"

"But… what about Magum?" Ford then asks him. "How do you get rid of him?"

 _"_ _You don't, Stanford."_

The three turn around in the entrance of the alleyway, seeing Magum standing there, two ghost looking wolves with wisps of shadow coming off their pelts. A glow of red flames surrounded the demon, and a malicious smile was on his face.

 _"_ _You simply cannot get rid of me."_

* * *

 **A/N:** OH SNAP!

Thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	23. A New Wheel

**Chapter 23: A New Wheel**

"Magum?!"

Layla's voice screeched his name. Her fists where at her side, shaking, and her face was flushed red with anger.

 _"_ _Oh, my lovely Layla, it is nice to see you again, my dear."_ Magum says smoothly, him giving her a hungry stare. The way he looked at her and said her name made Ford's skin crawl, especially now that he knew how Magum was possessive her.

Layla spits in Magum's direction. "Screw you!" she screamed, her face scrunched up in pure rage and disgust.

Magum gives a sad sigh. _"My dear, that's not very polite,"_ he tells her sadly.

"Don't call me your 'dear', you asshole!" Layla screeches, her face a deep red, making her electric blue eyes pop.

Ford slowly moves forward, being partially in front of her. He did it so subconsciously, and he felt like that he should protect her in some way. Magum's eyes narrowed at the sight of that, his hands slowly glowing into a brilliant crimson flame.

 _"_ _I'm very impressed, Stanford, that you have survived for this long,"_ Magum smoothly says. _"I didn't take you as that type at all. In all honesty I thought you would've died from that plasma wound for stealing that infinite die."_

Ford growls, him demanding, "How the hell did you know that?"

Magum gives a malicious smile. _"I have my sources,"_ he informs. _"Because you have that die… we can make a deal-"_

"Not a chance in hell, you bastard!" Ford screams, gesturing with his hand in the stop motion. "Like hell I'd make a deal with you!"

Magum holds out a hand. _"If you give me the infinite sided die, and Miss Bartek, I can get you back home… you can disassemble the portal so Bill Cipher doesn't get through."_ He offers.

Ford's eyes widened with surprise, then they narrowed darkly. Like hell he'd trade Layla to go home. The portal was deactivated, Bill couldn't get through. And besides… didn't Magum wanted to get to the Earth dimension?

"Why would you want the portal to be deactivated…?" Ford questions. "Don't you and Cipher have the same goal?"

Magum gives a shrug, his demonic wolves continuing to growl towards the three humans, their pelts a dancing wisp of shadows. _"I do have a similar goal, and believe me it will become a reality for myself… but right now I have other plans."_ Magum stated.

Rick then pokes both Layla and Ford in the back, them using their eyes to see him in their peripheral vision. Rick then raises his portal gun and slowly aims it behind him, him glaring at Magum with daggers.

"Y-y-y-y-you seem to already have a-a-a-a-a plan…" Rick comments. "D-d-d-d-did Bartek already make a d-d-d-d-deal with you?

Magum then glows a brilliant crimson red of flames. _"That fool of a man decided he wanted to play on both sides of the fence! When he was making deals with me he was also making deals with Bill Cipher!"_

While he was distracted with his anger, Rick shoots the portal gun and grabs both Layla and Ford and drags them in the portal with him. The demon roared with anger in the realization that his prey was getting away, but his wolves managed to get through the portal with them. The three humans were tumbling in the portal as the demonic beasts tried to tear at their throats, but soon they tumbled out of the portal, Rick landing on his gun and cracking it.

"DAMN IT!" Rick shouts as he rolls off of it, one of the wolves tearing into his lab coat. Layla gets her gun out and shoots the demonic wolf, it yelping in pain. She continues to shoot at it until it falls to its side, black blood pooling beneath it.

The other one was at Ford, trying to get to his throat. During the portal jump Ford had gotten out of his trench coat, it now tangled around him and the wolf. He couldn't reach his gun, all he could do was hold his arms out, pushing against the demonic beast's throat to keep its jaws from ripping into his soft throat.

"Ford!" Layla shouts as she then shoots at the wolf, the bullet pierced its flank and it falls to the side.

Ford jumps up quickly and uses his trench coat as a net and entraps the demonic wolf, its shadows seeping through. He gets his gun from his side and continuously shoots into the coat, the demon roaring in anger and pain, soon it stopped squirming as its life slowly fades away. Ford unravels the coat, seeing how it was damaged with many holes and scorch marks. He searches the pockets and gets the photo from when he and his twin brother were children, the edges starting to rip and the corner was singed. He sighs with relief that it wasn't more damaged.

"Is everyone all right?" Ford calls out.

"I'm okay…" Layla replies.

"I-I-I'm not!" Rick shouts angrily, him holding up his cracked gun. "This is b-b-b-broken…! The good n-n-n-n-news is that Ma-Magum-" he then belches mid-sentence as he goes into his torn lab coat and grabs his flask, taking a huge swig before continuing, "Magum won't be a-a-a-able to track us now… the e-e-e-energy signature got lost."

Ford looks at the portal gun, seeing how the glass dome that held the energy source was cracked, the energy source no longer glowing. It was simply useless now. With a groan Ford puts a six-fingered hand to his face, feeling annoyed.

"There has to be a way to get rid of Magum…" Ford muses. "If there is a way to get rid of Bill, then there is one to get rid of Magum."

Rick mumbles and grumbles, ignoring Ford as he looks at his portal gun and tries to find something in his lab coat to try to fix it. He sighs as he also drinks from his flask, him annoyed that his gun was broken, after so many years and attempts to making a successful one.

Layla then hums, her thinking. Ford could help but be entranced but her humming, him thinking it was very relaxing. "I… I think I've read this somewhere before…" she then finally says, her hand going into her trench coat. She then pulls out a small black book, it torn in the cover. "When… when I was with Magum he had this book… it's in a completely different language and I don't understand it whatsoever… but I think I've seen something similar to Bill Cipher's Wheel in here." She then flips through the pages, the pages yellowed and browned with age.

"Is it like a journal of some kind…?" Ford asks, him thinking how he had his journals back in Gravity Falls.

"I believe so…" Layla agrees. "It's Magum's handwriting. I had hidden this book in one of the alcoves years ago and when we were there I grabbed it. I haven't looked at it in years…" She makes a sound of exclamation, her finding the page. She reveals the page to Ford, his eyes widening on just how similar it was to Bill's… even a few of the same symbols were on it.

The picture showed a wheel, just like Bill's. However, instead of the triangle in the center with the one eye and top hat, it was instead something that resembled a large lizard head with no scales but instead a pelt that resembled wisps of flames, it with massive horns that branched off its head that knotted and twisted around in an intricate design, and its eyes were a soulless white. Around the wheel Ford recognized a few symbols from Bill's wheel: a six-fingered hand, a crescent shape, a pine tree, a shooting star, and a llama. There were new symbols as well: an arrow, an oak leaf, something that resembled a flask, an acorn, and a full heart.

"So… he _does_ have a weakness!" Ford exclaims happily. "He even has a few similar symbols that Bill has… so that means a few of the same people can defeat Bill _and_ Magum…!"

"O-o-o-o-oh, goody." Rick mutters sarcastically.

"But… what do the symbols mean…?" Layla asks curiously.

"That… with time, we'll probably know." Ford tells her, taking her hand gently. He then gingerly takes the book with his free hand, him looking at the wheel with a new burning desire to get rid of not one, but _two_ demons. "And now… I need a new coat…" He just had his black turtleneck sweater, his muddy brown boots, and his black pants.

"T-t-t-t-there is a market in t-t-t-this dimension," Rick drunkenly tells him. "G-g-g-go snag one… I'll stay here a-a-a-and fix this."

Both Ford and Layla glance at Rick, the man fumbling with his device. With a shrug they begin to walk away.

"We'll bring you something too Rick," Ford calls over his shoulder.

"B-b-b-b-bring me a-a-a-a-a small nuclear reactor!" Rick demands with a slur.

"Um… no promises," Layla responds.

Ford kept a tight grip on Layla's hand as the two walked off. He glanced his eyes away, him nervous.

"Um… like I was trying to say before… about what happened…" Ford began to say but was interrupted with Layla's abrupt stop and she makes him look at her. "Um… what?" he nervously asks.

Layla then stands on her tip toes because of her being short and goes and kisses him. "You're perfectly fine," she tells him. "I'm… I'm actually happy you did that…" she then lowers herself down and grips Ford's hand tightly. "Now… let's get you a new coat."

Ford's face was a bright red, but nonetheless had a big smile on his face, making him almost look like a young boy. The two then walked off toward bright lights, heading to the market to steal him a new trench coat.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello everyone! Sorry this took so long, but I got a new chapter of this up!

Also, after newfound research, since I was looking for symbols, I found out about the true meaning of the name "Bartek". When I first made Layla's character, her last name was originally going to be Oak as a similarity to Pines, but I found a wikipedia pages that had a list of oak trees and I found Bartek randomly and decided to make that her last name. It is apparently not a _type_ of oak tree, but the name a famous one in Poland, one that is over 600 years old. In Poland they have a saying about being as "strong as an oak" and the Bartek Oak Tree is a famous landmark based on that in Poland. The name "Bartek" is actually the Polish version of the name "Bartholomew", which I had no knowledge of until literally writing this chapter today, so Dr. Bartek's name literally is " Dr. Bartholomew Bartholomew"

Thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	24. Summer's End

**Chapter 24: Summer's End**

The summer heat slowly went away, the green leaves turning into oranges, reds, and yellows as they slowly fell from the branches.

Business was starting to slow at the Mystery Shack as the autumn air crept into Gravity Falls. That was when Stan decided to work on the portal with more of his time and energy. A few tourists came and went, but with the cooler not many people seemed to want to be outside. Soon Stan was becoming much more sleep deprived, him sleeping more during the day after opening shop for a few hours a day.

He didn't attend his father's funeral that was a couple of weeks prior.

Stan did send flowers though, and a letter forged in Stanford's handwriting apologizing for not attending. A week later there was a letter of response from his mother, a newspaper article attached to her handwritten letter. She seemed deeply upset that "Stanford" didn't attend the funeral. Reading the letter was breaking Stan's heart, him feeling the dried up parts of the paper where her tears had fallen while writing.

According to her letter the funeral was very small, only a few members of the family was to attend, and that included Shermie with his new family. A few friends was there as well, but since the Pines family didn't have much spare funds, everything was held at the Pines Pawn Shop.

Stan knew he couldn't attend, his mother would know who he was on the spot, after all she was his mother, she would recognize him in an instant. He knew as Filbrick's son he should've went to the funeral, but a bitter thought had went through his mind: His father didn't even bother to try to have a funeral for him when he "died", so why should he have went to his anyway?

With a heavy sigh, Stan had put away the letter from his mother in a small box he kept in the closet in his bedroom. He then goes into the kitchen and pours himself a large glass of whisky and starts drinking it straight. It burned his throat, but he knew he deserved it.

He sat there, his mind wandering…

 _I'm a terrible son. I'm a terrible brother._

Stan knew that he was always the source of so many problems. He had gotten in trouble in the neighborhood a lot, causing fights when bullies picked on Stanford. He started lying at a very young age to try to mimic his mother, she praised him for the talent but warned him that there was a time and a place, advice that he wished he really had taken over the years. He started stealing at a young age because he knew his family didn't much money after having an unexpected third kid, _him_ , and he wanted to try to make his twin brother happy.

Now because of him his family is ripped apart. He ruined Stanford's project and his chance to get into an amazing school. He ruined his family's chance to get better in life. He ruined his relationship with his brother… his _twin_ brother.

Another glass of whisky was poured into the glass and he downed it like it was shot, causing him to cough violently and his throat burn. The edge of his vision started to get blurry, Stan was familiar with this.

"I'm just a terrible person in general…" Stan whispered to himself as he sadly looked into his empty glass. His eyes were heavy, the bags under his eyes prominent. "Just a couple of minutes…" he yawned as he leaned his face into his hand propped on the table by his elbow. Soon he was snoring.

 _"_ _Hiya there, pal!"_ a shrill voice practically shrieked.

Stan screamed as he fell out of his chair. He saw before him… a floating yellow triangle. It wasn't just a triangle though… it wore a top hat and a bow tie, a giant eye in the center. The thing literally had thing arms and legs sticking out of it like it was some sort of rag doll. The triangle had no mouth, but it "spoke", its body flashing into brighter yellow with each word.

"What the hell!?" Stan screamed. He glares at his alcohol. "I need to stop drinking before sleeping…"

 _"_ _That's right, Stanley!"_ the triangle cheered. _"What you need to be doing is trying to get your brother back!"_

"Can't do that if I'm so tired that I can't keep my eyes open…" Stan muttered. He shook his head. Why was he arguing with a _dream_?

The triangle puts its thin arms on its side, mimicking putting hands on hips. _"Well, don't you want Stanford back or not? I mean, after all, it_ was _your fault that he is trapped in some God forsaken place! I mean… who knows, he could be starving, frostbitten, hey, he could even be dead for all you know!"_

With each statement Stan's heart dropped lower. It _was_ his fault.

 _"_ _So… how about you get cracking on that portal, Stanley?"_ the triangle suggested. _"Maybe Sixer's room has some clues?"_

Stan hadn't been in Stanford's room since the first night. He was so distraught about Stanford being sucked through the portal that he didn't go through his brother's items. Could he really just go through his stuff?

 _"_ _Don't you want him back or not!?"_ this time the floating triangle was angry, a few sparks of blue flame coming off of him.

Suddenly, Stan opened his eyes and he was lying on his back on the kitchen floor. Groggily, he got up and made his way into the hallway, drunkenly trying to find a light switch; he gave up on that quickly. After what seemed like an eternity, he made it to Stanford's room and opened the door with a creak. Inside was just how Stan had left it, now with the addition of thick layer of dust.

He goes and searches the desk drawers, only finding empty jelly bean bags and chewed up pens. Stan did find books on physics and chemistry, more advanced than he was used to, so he snagged those. Obviously he was too drunk to even think about reading them, but it didn't stop him from trying.

Once again he sat at the kitchen table, the clock ticking in a mocking way with each passing second. Each second Stanford was trapped somewhere… each second he was closer to death. Stan _had_ to get him back, he just had to. Of all the mistakes he had made in his life, _this_ was the one that he most desperately wants to fix.

So, he sat there as the clock chimed midnight, signaling the last day of summer to end. It had been about six months since that terrible night… a night that haunts his nightmares.

 _Don't worry, Sixer… I'm going to fix this…_

It was probably in his head still from his dream, but he could swear that the shrill voice was now laughing… and for some reason it seemed familiar…

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello everyone! Sorry about the lack of updates, but between work and getting my hands on Journal 3 I have been swamped! Journal 3 is the best thing ever... I have _2_ copies... I had pre-ordered on Amazon but because I have a small P.O. Box if I had went to pick it up after work I wouldn't be able to get it since my larger packages I have to go to the post office counter to get... SO I went to the store and bought a copy to read after work. Now I am Mabel and make the Journals kiss each other. BUT ENOUGH ABOUT THAT! So, after reading the journal some of my future writing will be influenced... BUT DON'T WORRY, as this is fanfiction I am still finishing this story with the way that I had intended to do. And, don't worry, there will be NO SPOILERS FOR JOURNAL 3.

Sorry this was short as well... I kind of got stuck.

And yes, between Stan's and Ford's time on their sides of the portal it is the SAME PERIOD. At this point Layla and Ford have known each other for about six months, it's just with all of their shenanigans it seems time is faster.

Thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	25. The History of Magum and Bill Cipher

**Chapter 25: The History of Magum and Bill Cipher**

Both Layla and Ford were walking down the road that lead to the main market of the dimension they were in, glares shooting their way.

Ford still didn't have a trench coat, and from wearing one for years he just felt uncomfortable without it. He was looking through the book that Layla had let him read, things were in a code that was similar to the code that was written in his last journal that had sudden appeared in it. The page he kept going back to was Magum's Wheel.

"How come Magum looks different here…?" Ford asks Layla curiously.

"Because the body you're used to seeing is a possessed one." Layla replies flatly.

"… Possessed?" Ford echoed.

Layla stops walking and then grabs Ford's hand once again. She glances around to find a private place and sees an alleyway. With a tug Ford followed her as she began walking towards it. Once in the alleyway, she glances around to make sure no one was around.

"As you know, a demon can possess a human body, or pretty much any organic being," Layla began softly. "Magum… doesn't like his true form… there is a statue in his main dimension that is his original body. So, over the years he had possessed many bodies. Depending on the host and the length of time their souls can bond to each other. Most of the time the host dies once the demon leaves it, but on rare occasions the host descends into madness."

Ford's heart pounds in his chest. _He_ was possessed by Bill Cipher multiple times. _He_ was going into madness after the fact. But he seemed to be okay now, more or less, what was the deal?

"If that is true, Layla, then how come I'm not dead or crazy?" Ford seriously asks her.

She gives him a sad smile. "Because, Bill didn't _constantly_ possess you, he wasn't in your mind all the time," she simply tells him. With a sigh she then adds, "I've only seen Magum's true body _one_ time, when he was absolutely furious at me… and it was the most terrifying thing I have ever seen in my entire life…" Layla then wraps her arms around herself, rubbing them gently as if she had a sudden chill.

Ford instinctively goes and wrapped his arms around her into a hug. She went rigid for a moment, but she then wraps her arms around his waist. Ford rubs her back gently, he remembered how his mother used to that to him and Stanley when they were very small and scared of something. It was almost instinctive in a way.

As she was in his arms he remembered his time in Gravity Falls when he and his old partner Fiddleford McGucket would talk about their families. Fiddleford was married and had a son, he had left his family so he could come to Gravity Falls to help Ford out with his research and the portal since he was a brilliant engineer. Sometimes Fiddleford would ask Ford if he had ever planned on getting married and having a family.

"Of course not," Ford had bitterly replied. "My research is the most important thing right now, I can't distract myself."

Fiddleford had given him the look of pity. "You've never been in love, have you, Stanford?" he had asked,

Ford had shaken his head. "Nope, and I don't plan on it either," Ford had said with a snarky tone. "To me it's a waste of time."

Fiddleford had narrowed his eyes angrily. "I don't think it's a waste of time," he had grumbled with a huff. "And trust me, you're gonna find someone and slap yourself thinking how _idiotic_ you were."

Ford had laughed at that statement. "Okay, if I find a girl I really like, and dare I say fall in love with her, I will give myself the biggest slap across my face that I can give myself. How's that?" he had had a huge smile on his face, him back then clearly amused.

"It's a deal then, Stanford."

Ford now narrows his eyes, thinking how right Fiddleford had been. It wasn't a waste of time.

"Ford?" Layla's voice broke his thoughts.

Ford shook his head, clearing the cobwebs of memories. "Yeah, Layla?" he replied to her.

"Are you okay?" she then asks. "You've been kind of quiet for a bit…"

"I was just remembering a certain deal a friend and I have made." Ford tells her, pulling away from the embrace. He had a big smile on his face, and he looked as if he was about to laugh hysterically.

Layla's electric blue eyes widened. "Ford…? You're scaring me a bit… I've never seen you smile this long…" her tone went dark, her clearly wary.

Ford's face immediately stops smiling. "What?" he questions. "But… I have to go through with my end of the deal…" He raised a hand, making Layla glare at him. And he smacked himself across the face with such a great force that it made Layla wince at the sound.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR, STANFORD?!" Layla screams at him.

"Like I said… ow!" Ford cried out in pain. "I had to do my end of the deal."

"Which was?"

Ford's face went red. "Um… heh, let's go find me a trench coat huh?" he muttered nervously as he starts to walk away, once again reading the book on Magum. Layla follows close behind, her sighing with annoyance.

The book was filled with cryptic codes, all which seemed familiar to what was written by Bill in Ford's journal. It had to be the same language, some ancient language that the higher demonic deities knew of and used that had been lost within the dimensions over the millennia.

"Ford!" Layla called out, her standing by a stall. Ford walks over, seeing the different coats that were available. He then saw one that looked like his old one, him grinning. "Looks like your old one right?" Layla murmurs to him.

"Yep," he agreed. "And I got a plan…"

"Oh, stealing, your brother would be proud," Layla snickered.

Ford groaned, "Don't remind me…" He then approaches the stand, trying to distract while Layla snatches. "Um, excuse me…?" Ford asked in the most butchered way of pronouncing the language that Layla had taught him. The merchant glares at him with his ten eyes. "Sorry… I'm not used to this language… but can you tell me what language this is?" Ford then shows Magum's book, showing the odd language.

"That's the language of the Hierarchy of Demons," the merchant replied in the same language as Ford, his voice confident and fluent. "Only certain demons know the language anymore… I think only Bill Cipher and Magum know it still… since all the others are dead."

"Pardon?" Ford questions. "What do you mean they're dead?"

The merchant rolled its many eyes. "Don't you know history?" he demanded angrily.

"Eh… I'm more of a science person," Ford admits. "Can you enlighten me please?"

As he spoke Layla had snagged the coat, and a few other things as well. She finds a bag and stuffs everything inside it. Layla slowly walks away, eventually making her way next to Ford, making it look like she came from a different direction to make it look like she just wasn't stealing.

"Well, millennia ago, there was a war between the highest demons. There were dream demons, psychic demons, blood demons, too many to count. There are descendants of these demons of course… not as powerful though. Among this were two anarchists, Bill Cipher and Magum. They were the rebels among their races, and they decided to work together to cause this war.

"They've pitted the other races against each other, manipulating their thoughts, their dreams, and watched on the sidelines as they saw their own families and old friends being torn apart. Of course they got caught eventually, Magum made Cipher get all the blame instead in fear of being stripped of his physical form. All the blame, or so it has been said, went to Cipher. Cipher lost his physical body, only to be a specter of dreams, him being forced to be in a two dimensional world forever, something that the Dream Demons could leave willingly with their physical forms.

"As revenge Cipher used Magum's race of demons, manipulated their dreams despite them being psychic demons, and sent them to kill the rest of the dream demons that took Cipher's physical form away and forced the psychic demons into suicide. Of course Magum was angry at this, him most likely honestly wanting to do something similar. Their races of demons are extinct besides them two… they've been at each other's throats ever since," the merchant concluded.

Ford stood there for a moment in shock. It was like Bill actually had a _friend_ at one point, but Magum betrayed him. Now Bill gets what he wants by pretending to be friends and betraying them. Maybe Magum had something to do with the way Bill's mind worked.

"So… they were friends at one point?" Layla guessed, her accent in the language on par. "And they made mistakes to each other and been fighting ever since?" she then gives a slight glare to Ford. "Sounds like a pair of siblings." This statement caused Ford to glare at her.

"Seems like it," the merchant shrugged. "Now… are you two gonna buy something or not?"

"Do you have something to decipher this language?" Ford asks, his accent terrible. He looked to Layla, who pulled out the very few money that they did have, something they never used because of the stealing.

The merchant gives a sympathetic look. "I don't know how you two came across that book… but, I do have something." He takes the money from Layla's hand and he goes under his counter to bring up a briefcase. The merchant opens it and pulls out an as equally old book. "I'm a descendant of the blood demons, so this has been passed down in my family for generations.

"You two seem like you have a history with Magum and Bill Cipher… them two are bad news. And… and if giving you this can help take them down… I'll give it to you in exchange of this pitiful amount of money." The merchant then hands the book to Ford, who grasped it with his free hand. "And I know you two are on those wanted posters…" he then glares at Layla. "And I know _you_ stole from me. But, I'm going to pretend it never happened. Go before I change my mind."

Ford nods, holding both of his books dearly. "Thank you, and I really mean it," he told the merchant.

As Layla and Ford said their goodbyes, the raven haired woman gave Ford the new trench coat. He puts it on and puts the two books into the pockets in the coat, along with the picture of him and Stanley as children. They two walked out of the market, Layla commenting that they never even bothered to find Rick a nuclear reactor.

"Eh, he'll get over it," Ford laughs.

"So," Layla drew out the word. "What was the bet you said you and your friend made?" she brought back up their previous conversation.

"Uh…" Ford nervously stammered. "Well… he said to me that I had to slap myself thinking how idiotic I was for thinking a certain way. And I did."

Layla raises a black brow in confusion. "And… what was it?"

Ford stops and takes a deep breath. He faces her as she stops as well, her folding her arms across her chest.

"The deal was if I find a girl that I really like, or love, I would slap myself as hard as I could because of being such an idiot thinking that I wouldn't." Ford said the words so fast and stumbled with them, his face getting redder by the moment and his voice wavered and cracked. He sounded out of breath and was panting at the end of his sentence.

Layla's face took on a shade of pink, but nonetheless gave a small smile. "So… let me guess, you're an idiot then?" she giggles.

"The biggest one I know," he stammers, laughing nervously.

She grabs his hand, making his heart race. "Well… you did hit yourself hard," she murmurs as she goes on her tiptoes and kisses the cheek that he had hit. "So, you dare say you love me?"

"I dare say that I do," Ford replies, this time the nervousness leaving.

"That would explain why you kissed me…"

"UM…"

Layla laughs at his expression. "Come on, let's go, we got to explain to Rick what we learned," she tells him.

"That I'm an idiot?" Ford asks in confusion.

"Later, I was thinking more on Bill and Magum."

"RIGHT!" Ford shouts as he squeezes her hand and starts running back towards where they had left Rick before, her struggling to keep up, but she still had a huge smile on her face.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, now if you read the short story "Dipper's Journal" you see why Dipper is acting so strangely.

BUT NOW WE KNOW WHY MAGUM AND BILL CIPHER HATE EACH OTHER! Excitement!

Thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	26. A Star as Bright as Day

**Chapter 26: A Star as Bright as Day**

As Layla and Ford were walking back to the area that they had left Rick in the two were laughing at a story that Ford was sharing about his childhood with his twin brother.

"Yeah, Dad was furious that he would do that," Ford laughed loudly.

"Your brother would sneak around and pull pranks at the temple?" Layla giggled with a huge smile. "And I didn't know you're Jewish," she added.

" _Was_ ," Ford corrected. "Once I was in middle school and high school science kind of changed that. My mother didn't really care, but my dad was a little upset. Stanley basically just said screw it once we hit ninth grade."

Layla gives a sad look. "I… I never had a religion…" she admits. "So, I wouldn't really know."

"Gravity Falls has quite a few churches…" Ford pointed out, an eyebrow raised skeptically.

"I may be _from_ Gravity Falls… but at the same time I'm not really…" Layla then says, a sad look crossing her face, all the laughter from before gone.

Ford asks, "What do you mean?"

Layla takes a deep breath. "What I mean is… I wasn't allowed to leave our house… From what I remember of my mother she didn't like the outside world and was more than happy to stay cooped up. Sometimes I would sneak out… but people were scared of me thinking I was a ghost since no one ever saw me before and just made something up."

Ford's heart ached painfully, seeing her sad expression. "What was your mother's name?" he then asked gently, realizing he never really asked about her mother.

"Annabeth," Layla smiled sadly. "Annabeth Lyle."

Ford stops walking for a moment and looked at her stunned. " _Annabeth Lyle_?" he repeated the name with emphasis. "As in, the teenaged girl who ran away from home and was missing?"

Layla shrugs as she stopped. "I don't know," she honestly replied. "I really don't know much about my mother. How would you know that?"

"It's a famous missing person case," Ford tells her. "Your father really never told you much of her?" Layla nods her head in response. "What an asshole," Ford then mutters. He then takes her hand gently and begins walking again.

Layla then beings humming as they walked, it was the same gentle hum she did when she was happy about something. Ford slows his pace, entranced by her humming.

"What song is that?" he finally asked.

"Hm?" Layla replied, not really paying attention. "What was that, Ford?"

"What song is that?" Ford repeats. "You hum it a lot."

Layla's face turns a deep crimson. "Sorry… I didn't know I was…" she murmurs, clearly embarrassed.

Ford let's go of Layla's hand and stops to face her. He puts his hands up in a surrendering position, as if it to say he meant no harm. "No, no! I don't mind, it sounds very pretty!" he assured her.

Layla's electric blue gaze averts his chocolate brown. "Pretty…? It's just humming…" she says softly. She then looks at him again and takes a deep breath. "It's a lullaby I barely remember my mother singing to me when I was very small."

"How does it go?" Ford then asks, clearly curious. He barely remembered his own mother singing to him and Stanley when they were being tucked into their beds at night. Most of the time she sang a Hebrew song to lull them to sleep, the words making no sense to the boys' ears as they didn't understand that language.

Layla turns sheepish as she puts her hands behind her back and looks to the ground, suddenly interested in her boots. She kicks a stone gently and it rolled over to Ford's foot. Then she opens her mouth, a wonderful sound escaping.

 _"_ _A star that shines as clear as day, made me wish I can go out and play, but remember the night holds a strange magic air, and this warning to you is to be fair."_ Layla began to sing, her voice taking on the movement of the melody. Her voice sounded pure, as if she was a soloist in a choir. She continues.

 _"_ _In the shadows there are people who are not what they seem, they'll want to take you down the deathly black water stream, don't take their hand within yours, or forever you'll be put behind the deathly doors._

 _"_ _A star that shines as clear as day, oh how it made me wish to go out and play, so I took the hand of a shadow that called and beckoned me, and now I feel my soul become free._

 _"_ _However I could not return in the morn, the sun bright as the star as my family mourn, now I become the shadow that uses the star as bright as day, would you like to take my hand and come play?_

 _"_ _A star that shines as bright as day, it made me go out and play, now do you wish to take that risk of the star, and take my hand to go far?_

 _"_ _I promise that I will bring you back home in the morn, that way no one will cry over you and mourn. But am I what I seem, or will I too take you down the deathly black water stream?_

 _"_ _You can trust me as I am your shadow friend, I promise to let you have fun to no end, I promise I won't take you that far, just to the star that is bright as day so we can pay our devoir*._

 _"_ _A star that shines as bright as day, how I wish I did not go out to play, for the devil shadow had grasped my hand, the devil shadow pulled my soul and it was at his command._

 _"_ _So heed my warning young soul, please heed it with thole*, and do not shake the devil shadow's hand, or forever your young soul shall be damned._

 _"_ _A star that shined as bright as day, now dim with the shadows I have helped taken with the devil shadow's command that are a dark grey, remember how the night holds a strange magic air, and how even something as bright as a star can take you to the devil shadow's lair."_

Layla concludes her song, her voice wavering slightly towards the end. During her singing her eyes had closed and she had swayed with the words, her cheeks were a rosy pink from being nervous. As she sung her voice had sent electrical chills down Ford's spine, her voice had been lovely but the message of the song was pretty clear.

Be careful on who you trust.

"You have a very lovely singing voice," Ford comments, his face blushed from hearing such a lovely sound.

"Ah… no I don't," Layla bashfully said, giving him a slight push on his shoulder.

"How is that song a lullaby though?" Ford then asks, thinking it was odd to sing to a child about dying in your sleep.

Layla gives a small shrug as she whispers, "I don't think it's a real song, I think my mom made it up as sort of a warning. It has a _Peter Pan_ feeling to the song… but at the same time, it's like someone was trying to show you something that was amazing, just to be a puppet for their own game." She then gives Ford a sad, small smile. "I think it's really sad though… I think it's also about my mom a bit, trusting my father but he kind of ended up being like a devil. My father didn't really like it when I sang the song, so I just hummed it a lot."

Ford puts a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's a song your mom sang to you, so it must be important. So…" he then blushes again. "If you want to sing again, anytime, sing whatever song comes to mind."

"I don't really know many songs past 1966…" Layla murmurs, a little bitter sounding.

"Well, I know a few from the seventies that you might enjoy," Ford tells her, thinking of a few right away. "I'm not as good as a singer as you, but I'm sure you'd enjoy it."

They began walking once again, soon finding the alleyway they had left Rick in. However, upon returning he was nowhere to be seen. Ford called for him, but there was no response at all. Finally, they come across one of Ford's wanted posters, along with Layla's, and written in a black in someone had written a message. The two assumed it was Rick since some of the hand writing was very shaky, and he was drunk when they had left him.

"'Sci-Fi and Layla, you two were taking too long, probably making out in some corner somewhere, blech.'" Layla began to read, her face twisting up with annoyance. She then continues, "'I've gone to look for parts for my portal gun, I'll probably catch you guys later, and if not, bye bitches! This is Dimension 52, a more modern dimension, if you guys go to shady part of town you can probably hit a place to sleep that's better than a warehouse floor without money. Rick.'"

"So, he just _ditched_ us!?" Ford yells, him clearly angry. "What a fricken asshole!"

"Honestly, I am _not_ surprised in the slightest," Layla comments nonchalantly. "It was only a matter of time anyway." She then begins to walk back toward the way they had come from, her head held up high.

It was the first time that Ford had truly noticed how long her hair was. It was to her waist, maybe a little more to her hips. Her hair was black as night, her hair layered a certain way that almost resembled a raven's feathers. Despite being out in the multiverse with barely access to anything to wash up, her hair still looked smooth and inviting.

"Stanford," Layla's voice interrupts him. The brunette man shook his head violently and gives her a blank stare. By the look on her face it seemed that she had been trying to get his attention for quite some time. "Are you coming or not?" she then asks him, her lips quivering to a small smile, clearly amused by his blank stare.

"Um, yes!" Ford calls out excitedly, maybe too excitedly. "Let's get a move on then, shall we?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry this took a bit, I got a little stuck on the song! I had too look up rhymes and their definitions and ugh... I'm happy how the song turned out, and I am learning to play piano so maybe I can make a melody for it or something.

The song/poem is basically a similar thing about the original story of _Peter Pan_ on how he would take children's souls to Neverland to never grow up because they had passed in their sleep, except this is basically a warning about Bill/Magum on how they can tell you sweet things and show amazing things but will use you to get what they want for their plans.

The "Not what they seem" line is mainly from the episode "Not What He Seems" about Stan.

*Devoir means to pay your respects.

*Thole means to endure something without complaint, or tolerate.

\- POSSIBLE SPOILER DOWN BELOW -

Fans have speculated or headcanoned that the Pines family is Jewish as there is heavy evidence in the show. Alex Hirsch has confirmed on his twitter and in Journal 3 that Stan (along with Ford) was raised Jewish, but Stan had become an atheist (maybe Ford too since he's a science heavy man).

\- POSSIBLE SPOILER END -

The name "Annabeth" is a reference to the _Percy Jackson_ series.

Thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	27. Dimension 52

**Chapter 27: Dimension 52**

The two humans took Rick's advice and went to the bad part of the city of the dimension they were in, the city looked like it was deteriorating from the inside out, the streets probably dangerous, but the two humans walked along the streets confidently because they knew their way around a fight.

Layla walked into a few shops and walked out with items hidden in her coat. Of course many of it was alcohol. How many could she even fit in there? Her coat seemed limitless!

Ford snagged food and something drinkable other than alcohol, finding out that they had water, something he felt was beginning to become a foreign concept to him. He hides it in his trench coat along with a few papers that resembled the news.

Once Ford was out of sight with his stolen goods he hands the papers to Layla. She could read them better than he, so it made sense to give them to her to be deciphered quickly. Layla mumbles to herself in the language, Ford practically seeing the gears turn in her head as she translated.

"Looks like there is a lot of gang war in this city," she remarked. "The papers are basically saying don't walk around at night." She then rolls her eyes dramatically. "Oh, thank heavens we found that!"

Ford rolls his eyes as well, a smile on his face. "I figured we needed some information," he tells her with a sly smile.

The raven-haired woman then hooks her arm around his. "My hero, the nerd," she laughs. "But yes, that is important information, we don't want to get caught in the crossfire."

Overhead the sky was beginning to dark into a deep indigo, the sky getting streaks of yellow from the lights of the city. The two humans were walking down the streets, Ford keeping a lookout around their surroundings as Layla read the papers to see if there was any place for them to sleep for the night. A few patrons of the streets did try to mug them, unknown to Layla as she was reading, so Ford had to shoot them in their kneecaps for them to get away.

"What was that sound?" Layla absently would say, not even bothering to look up from her papers.

"Nothing, Layla," Ford would reply drily, often glaring at the patrons that were trying to mug them.

Finally it seemed that they had found a place to crash for the night, it being a rundown old building with stones sticking out randomly, threatening to fall. The two humans looked at each other with a sigh and go on through the door. The inside was just as bad, if even worse, than that outside.

Inside the carpets and tiles were ripped and cracked, various liquids dripped from the ceiling. There wasn't anyone in the lobby, just a very bored, green-skinned, reptilian concierge at the main desk. The sign said that he was on break and would be back never, at least that's what Layla told Ford the sign said.

"So very friendly…" Ford muttered sarcastically.

Layla then approaches the desk and speaks in the same language that was written on the sign. Her voice was a thick layer of fake flattery, her voice sickening sweet sounding. The concierge rolls its neon purple colored eyes and holds out a scaly hand. Suddenly a bottle was in it and in Layla's was now a key.

"What did you even say?" Ford asked when Layla returned, twirling the key in the fingers of her right hand.

"Eh, nothing much." Layla shrugged. She then grabs Ford's hand and the two began walking to the staircase. Ford looks down from the stairs to see the concierge popping open the bottle that he noticed was one of Layla's bottles of alcohol and started drinking from it.

"You bribed him!?" Ford cried out, appalled.

"Not the first time I've done something like that," Layla admits nonchalantly. The two were finally up on the floor that they had to be on, Layla looking around for the room.

"I swear, I think you and my brother could be friends…" Ford told her with a bored tone.

Layla finally finds the room and uses the key to get in. Inside the room was no better than the lobby when they first entered the building. The carpet was a disgusting blue color, all torn up and the bare concrete shown underneath it. The pale, green wallpaper was peeling.

"I think I rather sleep in a trashcan…" Ford mutters, him eyeing around.

"C'mon, it's for one night," Layla insists. She then begins to unpack her small pack, putting the blankets on top of the only bed in the room.

Ford just noticed that. "Wait… w-w-w-why is there one bed?" he asked her nervously.

"Hm?" Layla murmured, barely looking up. "I have no idea… maybe the guy just assumed. It's not like we haven't slept in the same bed before."

Ford's face blushes pink as he glances away. It was true, but that was a totally different circumstance, she was hurt and… but he _did_ kiss her during that.

Layla then takes off her trench coat, her navy blue sweater tight around her. As Ford just stared for a moment the woman emptied the coat and took out the various bottles of alcohol and a few small glasses. She then holds up a bottle of a clear liquid and gives smile.

"Care to have a drink with me?" she asked casually, she had a sly smile on her face as if she was expecting him to say something sarcastic.

Ford puts a hand behind his head and gives a nervous chuckle. "I don't know…" he says slowly, almost jokingly. "I think at least _one_ of us should be sober…" he then takes one of the glasses from the tables and hands it outward, waiting for a drink. Layla complies and pours the liquid into the glass and then pours herself one. "But… a few drinks couldn't hurt right?" he smiled at her.

Layla then picks up her glass and clinks it to Ford's, the two downing the shot like it was nothing. It did burn Ford's throat terribly, and he recognized the taste. Although Ford wasn't floored by the taste, he could tell it was Layla's favorite and he pours himself another glass. The two kept taking on shots, them telling stories from their pasts.

One story Ford told was on how Stanley became afraid of heights. Layla tells a story on how she became highly afraid of spiders. Ford when then tell about his family's pawn shop in New Jersey, how his father wouldn't give a refund no matter what, something Ford thinks Stanley had copied for himself.

"You rarely talk about your parents…" Layla recalled, her words slurred slightly.

Ford glances away. "Dad was a strict man, was a real money pincher you know? I guess it made sense, as he had extra expenses…" Ford told her, then he immediately regretted it. The extra expense was the unknown twin… Stanley. "I didn't… mean that…"

"Your dad took a lot out on Stanley, didn't he?" Layla asked gently.

"That's probably why Ma doted on him a little more than myself…" Ford then admits. "Whenever he felt bad about himself she would perk him back up, and he did inherit her sly tongue. She was the best liar in New Jersey, but when she told us that she loved us… sometimes I thought she was only being truthful to Stanley…" he then hung his head low, now feeling guilty about that statement.

"Hey! You know that's not true!" Layla snapped at him.

"I know it's not true… it just felt like it at times." Ford stated, a sad look taking on his features. He pours himself another drink, although clumsily, and downs the shot. His face grimaces at the taste.

"At least your mom was around…" Layla then bitterly says to him, her voice dripping with venom. "I wish I would've known years ago…"

Ford gives her a look of pity. He had almost forgotten that Dr. Bartek had killed her mother during his experimentations. That and the man had lied to the girl her entire life, her thinking that her mother truly didn't care for her. No wonder why it made her mad when Ford admitted to thinking that his mother favored Stanley over him.

"I shouldn't have mentioned it…" Ford sighs. "That was selfish of me…"

 _You think you got problems!? … Meanwhile, where have you been? Livin' it up in your fancy house in the woods! Selfishly hoarding your college money, because_ you only care about yourself!

 _I'm selfish?_ I'm selfish, _Stanley? … I'm giving you a chance to do the first worthwhile thing in your life and you won't even listen!_

That argument echoed in Ford's head, over and over. It could have been handled so much differently. Hell, that night back over ten years ago could've been handled differently.

"Have… have I told you _why_ Stanley and I had fought…?" Ford asked Layla suddenly, who was taking a shot of her own drink, his voice slurred from his drinking. She looks at him with curious, electric blue eyes. She shakes her head. "It's because… back in our senior year of high school… we both… made mistakes.

"I did an amazing science fair project, won the fair too. My teachers were so impressed that they invited a prestige college, West Coast Tech, to come to the school and see if I could get in. Stanley… didn't handle it very well. He was always proud of me being smart, beat up any bullies that said otherwise about it and my polydactyl… but I guess he really wanted to go sailing with me around the world…

"Out of anger, and possible fear for the future and sadness, he ruined my project. I didn't get into the school I wanted… I got _so_ mad at him, it was the first time I ever felt like I truly _hated_ him. And at seventeen years old our father kicked him out of the house and gave him the impossible task of making millions on his own before even coming back home. All I did was stand and watch…

"There were so many things that could've been done that night… He could've called home and said he accidently broke my project. I could've tried to have a clearer head and thought rationally. I could've stopped our father from throwing him out on the streets. Maybe… maybe if I would've just _talked_ to Stanley more about that school… maybe he could've went out west with me, have an odd job out there while I got my education so we could still be together…

"And that night I came through the portal didn't go any better…

"I was going insane because of Bill… I kept hearing his laugh. I couldn't sleep, I kept trying to stay awake, and that made me begin to hallucinate. It felt like everywhere I turned I saw Bill. My journal entries were becoming more maddening, I was writing in some code that I never seen before… I hid my most recent journal in the woods, I buried my second one, and the first one… I wanted Stanley to take it as far away as possible…"

 _That's_ it _!? You finally wanna see me after ten years, and it's to tell me to get as far away from you as possible!?_

"We fought… he wanted to burn my journal, but I was so caught up that it was my research of Gravity Falls that I attacked him to get it back. During our fight we hit my machinery and the portal got reactivated…"

 _You left me behind, you jerk! It was supposed to be us forever, you ruined my life!_

 _You ruined your own life!_

 _AH!_

Ford remembers kicking his twin brother away from him to try to get his journal back. However the burning hot symbol on the side of the console was there and branded Stanley on his right scapula area. Stanley had screamed in pain from the branding, making Ford feel so guilty that he hurt him. And Ford got a well-deserved punch to his face, nearly braking his glasses.

 _Some brother_ you _turned out to be! You care more about your dumb mysteries than your family? Well then…_ YOU CAN HAVE 'EM!

"I hurt him… I kicked him into a scolding hot piece of metal on the side of the console… the symbol there branding into him. I tried to apologize, but he punched me. He told me… he told me that I cared more about mysteries than my family… and now that I really think about it, he was right. He pushed me… and I fell into the gravitational pull of the portal… and I ended up in a different dimension."

Ford finished his story and took the bottle on the side and downed the rest of it without even pouring himself a glass. He wipes his mouth as his face twisted up in a grimace. With his brown eyes he glances at Layla, seeing her expression looking like a mixture of sadness and anger.

Suddenly, Layla stood up, although highly wobbly from her drinking. "THAT'S WHY YOU TWO FOUGHT!?" she demands, her voice thick with alcohol. "T-T-THAT'S THE STUPIDEST THING I H-H-H-HAVE EVER HEARD!"

Ford flinches from her words. She was right, it was stupid.

"I know it's stupid…" Ford admits drunkenly. "That's why…" he then sighs. "That's why I'm really hoping he doesn't mess with the portal… because I _am_ a terrible brother who put his own, selfish needs above my family. I haven't even _spoken_ to my parents in about six years… and right now they could have died from a car crash or a sickness or _something_ and I would have no idea! My brother is better off without me…"

Layla's face softens as she slides down next to him, putting a hand on his leg. "If he didn't care… then why did he come to Gravity Falls for you?" she asks him.

 _Stanley! Stanley, help me!_

 _Oh, no, what do I do!?_

Ford remembered Stanley's face, the man scared out of his mind. He could see instant regret, his face going through so many emotions.

"I just hope… he'll give up… it's too dangerous." Ford then finally says, him getting up, causing Layla's hand to fall off his leg.

She stands up and pops open another one of her bottles and takes a swig from it. The raven-haired woman then hands out the bottle in offering. Ford takes it gladly and takes a long drink from it. The taste was a lot sweeter, which made him crave for more, which could be dangerous as he is already drunk, drinking a lot of this would make him piss drunk.

"I-I-I'm glad you told me, Stanford…" Layla finally says, gently taking the bottle back. "It… must've n-n-n-not been easy to talk about it." She takes a drink from it again then sets it on the nightstand next to the bed.

Ford's vision was extremely blurry, and he felt like that the room was spinning. Normally he wouldn't talk about the past that bothered him so much. He glares at the empty bottles that used to hold the alcohol.

 _They don't call it "Liquid Courage" for nothing…_ Ford thought bitterly to himself.

He then glares at Layla, thinking that she must've done this on purpose to get him to talk. She notices the glare and gives him a sheepish smile and a small wave. That little smile made his heart skip a beat, him thinking that he couldn't really be mad at her for only being curious about his past.

Layla laughs at Ford's expression, her laugh sounding much more natural and higher than her usual lower tone. She tried talking a little lower most of the time, as if trying to sound intimidating, but when she was drunk or really happy she'd talk in her natural tone.

"You're cute when you're confused, you know that?" she tells him.

He had admitted that he had loved her, but she hadn't said anything back to him about that subject. But her saying that he was "cute" made his face go beet red.

"Um… I-I'm not really sure about that…" he chuckles.

She then walks up to him, her electric blue eyes shining. He really liked those eyes…

"You have the prettiest eyes I've ever seen." Ford couldn't stop it from coming out of his mouth. It was already said and done before he realized what he said.

It was Layla's turn to have her face turn beet red. "Oh… really…? I don't like my eyes very much… I really like your brown… they look like melted chocolate, especially when you smile nicely…" she admits lightly, her tone wavering from her being drunk.

"And I like your black hair too…" Ford continues, him feeling slightly more confident with his words. Maybe it was the last swig of alcohol hitting his system.

"Really…?" Layla asked in shock. "I don't like it much… I'm already pale and this makes me look dead…"

"More like an angel in my opinion."

Before she could reply to that, Ford goes and kisses her, causing her to make a small sound. Layla wraps her hands around Ford's neck, tangling her fingers in his brown hair, and she deepens the kiss. The two pull apart for a moment to catch their breath, but as soon as they did they went back to kissing.

"I… I love you too, Stanford," Layla whispers against his lips, finally saying what she felt about him.

And that was all he needed to hear as he gently lowered her onto the bed. Automatically he glances around and saw the position he was in and nearly jumps away from her, causing her to giggle and laugh at him.

"You are too adorable when you don't know what you're doing…" she tells him as she pulls him back into their kiss, her mouth moving against his rhythmically.

That was when Ford blacked out, the full on effects of the alcohol hitting his bloodstream.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry this took a couple of days! I was trying to write this while having "Gravity Falls" on in the background. I got distracted to say the lease. I finished re-watching Season 1 in a day and got through almost half of Season 2 in the day... UM... this show has consumed me!

-POSSIBLE JOURNAL 3 SPOILERS DOWN BELOW!-

For those who have read "Journal 3" we know Ford's journey in the portal, the dimensions he has seen and the beings he has met. So, obviously none of this story has fallen into that because of course this an AU story, a fanfiction.

\- SPOILERS END-

We are getting close to the end of this... probably another five to ten chapters in all honesty, since I do want to get to how Stan deals with the 90's and how Ford became much more bitter like we see him in "A Tale of Two Stans" in the beginning of the episode.

Thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	28. When an Oak Tree Falls

**Chapter 28: When an Oak Tree Falls**

His head was pounding painfully, almost like someone was hitting him over the head with a hammer, and he squints his eyes against the light, his vision blurred from his lack of glasses.

He sits up, putting a hand to his head, the blanket that was around him falling revealing that he wasn't wearing his sweater. A small sound of confusion escapes him, when did that happen? His hand hits something to his right and he finds his glasses, and once he put them back on his vision was restored. Now he was able to see his scenery a lot more clearly.

Still, he was confused why his sweater was off. He runs a hand through his messy brown hair, his breathing starting to become panicked. There was then a soft moan from next to him, making his heart pound painfully in his chest. His brown eyes dart down to his left to see that Layla was curled up at his side, her black hair was a complete mess, and her bare shoulders were shown from not being completely covered by the blanket.

Ford's heart falls into the pit of his stomach.

 _Wait a minute… that didn't happen… did it!?_

He barely remembered what happened the previous night. Ford remembered drinking a lot, and so was she. He had told her about how he and Stanley had fought. Then… things were starting to get blurry, but he could recall kissing her and saying she had the prettiest blue eyes, which wasn't a lie in the slightest.

Another soft moan from next to him, he looks down to see her turn to her side, her back to him. The blanket falls slightly and her bare back was revealed, a few deep scars that looked suspiciously like lashes from something, but that was slightly ignored as he saw a lot of bare skin. A deep blush warms Ford's face to the point where he had to rub his face to try to get rid of the tingling sensation.

Some of Layla's black hair had fallen away from her face and neck, and a deep white line was accented because of her extremely pale skin. Ford furrows a brow and leans toward her neck, moving her head slightly to see that the line went straight across her throat. Gently, he touched it, the scar feeling thick underneath his fingertips. A pair of electric blue eyes opened and when they saw them hey widened.

Layla gasps loudly and sits up abruptly, the blanket falling down revealing her complete bare form, a few bruises on her waist that suspiciously looked like a six-fingered hand.

"Um… Layla…" Ford had covered his eyes with a hand and with his free one gestured toward her general direction. In a way it felt odd doing that, given the circumstances.

He hears her groan loudly and the sound of ruffling fabric, him hoping that she was covering herself. Ford could feel her eyes looking at him.

"Why are you covering your eyes?" she asks, her voice thick with amusement, as if she was trying not to laugh.

"I… I don't want to be rude…" Ford mumbles.

Layla laughs, a sound that Ford really did enjoy. "Ford… do you even know what happened last night?" she then giggled at him.

Ford feels his face heat up. "I-I h-h-have my suspicions," he stammered. He then feels his hand being pried from his face, the pair of blue eyes he loved looking at so much gazing at him. The blue eyes weren't filled with anger, or hate, or even regret, they were filled with love. And they were for him.

Layla's black hair was still a mess, but it still looked like soft feathers, a cowlick sticking up from the top of her head. She had one of the black blankets that they had brought with their travels wrapped around her torso, her cleavage clearly showing. Parts of her shoulder had thick scars from her past, and her left hand would subconsciously rub at them, her three fully formed fingers tracing the lines.

"How did you get the scar on your neck?" Ford suddenly asks. Without the turtleneck of her sweater he could clearly see the scar on her neck.

"That… I rather not say." Layla glances her eyes away.

Ford gives her a glare as he adjusts his glasses. "You basically got me damned drunk to find out why my brother and I fought, the least you can do is say how you got that scar."

Layla flinches at his statement. "I guess…" she sighs. She then sits up a little straighter, the scar sticking out like a sore thumb, being an off white to her pale skin. "I got it, because I slit my own throat," she finally said.

"WHAT!?" Ford demands as he jumped from the bed. He then realizes that he wasn't clothed and climbed back in to put the blanket over him, his face red. He then gives a little cough. "Um… WHAT!?" he says again.

Layla gives him a sad smile. "I did it… because Magum made me. He wanted to see my blood stain my body… and I was nineteen at the time and really didn't have a choice…" she tells him, her head hanging down in shame.

"It could've killed you!" Ford screeches.

"It nearly did…" Layla admits sadly. "But he had promised that he would heal me. What I didn't know is that it would leave this scar… that's why I wear the turtleneck."

Ford then pulls Layla to him, holding her close to him in an embrace. He puts a hand in her hair and runs his fingers through it, trying to comfort her.

"You're okay now… he won't hurt you again," he whispered to her softly. He felt her slender arms wrap around him. It jogged a fuzzy memory from the night before of her doing something similar. He groans slightly, his head still aching from being hungover.

"Are you okay, Ford?" Layla says to him, pulling away from him. Her blue eyes were wide with worry.

"Eh… it's nothing. I still got a headache…" Ford tells her, but his tone hinted at something else.

"Do you… not remember anything from last night?" Layla asks him, her face twisted with worry.

"Bits and pieces… but not much," he admits.

Layla then gives him a sly smile and gives him a kiss. "Do you want me to give you a recap of last night?" her voice taking on a sultry tone.

"Heh…!?" Ford barely squeaks. Was she really going to tell him the details of what she remembered last night?

She then kisses him deeply, making his heart race. He then kisses her back, putting his hand on her waist naturally and tightly, causing her to hiss in pain slightly. He then remembered the bruises she had there and that in fact they were from him. He lessens his grip on her waist and she continued kissing him, putting her hands in his hair and gripping it tightly.

Layla breaks away from the kiss, the two to catch their breath. She was panting, and Ford took that as an opportunity to kiss along the scar on her neck, causing her to gasp in surprise. When he had finished she kisses him once again.

"Are you ready for that recap?" she whispers to him, her voice heavy.

Ford then takes off his glasses and sets them to the side. "Yeah…"

* * *

The two humans were walking out of the building that they had used as shelter for the night, them both fully clothed and wearing their trench coats with their packs on their backs.

Ford's head still ached painfully, but that was highly ignored because of a different kind of feeling. He had never made love to someone before, and for the first time in his life he wondered why he had gone so long without something like that in his life.

His friend and old college roommate, the man that became his partner to build the portal in Gravity Falls, Fiddleford McGucket, had even gotten married and had a kid. For the first time Ford felt guilty, ripping that man away from his family because of his selfish ambitions. And because of all the things that he had put Fiddleford through, who knows if that man would ever be the same again.

"Ford, you okay?" Layla's voice interrupted his thoughts.

He glances at her and gives her a small smile. "Still got a slight headache, but I'll manage," he tells her.

Layla gives him a worried glance, but gives a small shrug as she takes his right hand into her left. They had to leave their room pretty quickly because the person that Layla had bribed was pounding on the door demanding for them to leave since he was getting in trouble. Although Ford would have rather just stayed in the bed with her curled up his side they couldn't as life was sometimes not fair.

The city they were in was filled to the brim with patrons walking down the streets, all of them the same type or reptilian being as the concierge from the place they were staying. A few of them gave Ford and Layla glances, as if they were trying to pinpoint if they have seen them before. No doubt their wanted posters were in this dimension too, but the two humans were avoided like the plague.

"I wonder what that is about..." Ford murmurs mostly to himself.

Finally they reached an alleyway but Layla trips over something. She would've fallen to the ground if Ford hadn't caught her. What she had tripped on was a leg sticking out of a box, and inside that box was Rick.

"RICK!" Layla shouts at him.

"H-h-h-heh!?" Rick yelps from his box, him scrambling trying to get out. He stands up, but was wobbly, as if he woke up drunk still. Rick glares at Layla and Ford, but then the glare slightly softens in recognition. "O-o-o-oh, hey there Sci-Fi and L-l-l-l-Layla." He greeted drunkenly.

"Where the hell did you even go yesterday?" Ford demands, him gesturing to the drunk man.

"Eh? I-I-I-I thought I'd f-f-f-find my n-n-nuclear reactor faster by-" Rick began but then belched midsentence. He then continues like it never happened, "-myself. A-a-a-a-and I did!" Rick then goes into his lab coat pocket and takes out his portal gun, now newly fixed. "I-I got a stronger one… s-s-s-so maybe I can get home and a-a-a-adjust it more. It's a-a-a-a one way ticket though, a-a-a-a-and it's enough energy to s-s-s-send one p-p-person through without r-r-r-ripping their molecules apart."

Ford looked at the man curiously. In a way it was like Rick was hinting that he is going to leave and couldn't take Ford and Layla back to Earth's dimension. Ford didn't feel angry at this or feel betrayed. He knew the man was married and had a young daughter, Rick had to get home. With one look to Layla, her giving a slight nod, Ford looks back to Rick and hands out a hand for a handshake. Rick looked surprised at this, but he then extends his hand and gives Ford a handshake.

"Good luck getting home, friend." Ford tells Rick.

"Y-you too, Sci-Fi… I m-m-mean, Ford." Rick says back. He then waves to Layla. "Good l-l-l-luck to you too, Layla. M-m-m-m-make sure Sci-Fi doesn't get into _too_ much trouble."

Layla gives him a small wave. "Good luck, Rick. And tell your wife to kick your ass for me," she says to him.

Rick then uses his portal gun and points it to the wall next him. A bright green portal then swirls around in a circular motion. "I suggest you guys find a way out of this dimension… M-M-M-Magum will probably jump at this e-e-e-energy signature." He then gives a final wave before disappearing through his portal.

* * *

Layla manages to find a natural portal that had opened, the two humans going through quickly before Magum could pinpoint the energy signature from Rick's portal gun.

The dimension they ended up in was much more industrial, with tall metal buildings a dull gray. The skies was a dark gray as well, a storm brewing overhead, the clouds swirling from the harsh winds. Quickly, they pull up their hoods as droplets of rain start to fall, the thunder bellowing over them.

They managed to find what looked to be an empty building, Ford prying the boards off the windows so they could go in. Once inside Ford tried to put the boards back up to try to hide the two within. It didn't look very pleasing, but it was enough to give the two cover from the outside world.

Layla lowers her hood, a few dents within the fabric as holes were forming. It seemed that the rain was acidic to their clothing and would most definitely hurt their skin.

"Looks like we need to stay out of the rain," Layla mutters as she took off her trench coat.

Ford takes his off as well, seeing how holes were starting to develop. "Damn it… I just got this too…" he muttered as he held out his coat.

Layla had started a small fire, taking some kindling from her pack and a match. The room illuminated in a dull fiery glow, the shadows dancing around them. It seemed they were in an old factory, like an assembly line. Assembly for what, the two could not tell.

They slept in shifts, not feeling safe in the building they were hiding in. Ford took the first watch, his gun in hand as he sat by the fire. Layla was curled up in her blankets close to Ford, her snoring gently as her black hair covered her face. Despite the danger and that Ford needed to keep watch, he couldn't help but stare at her, feeling at peace that she was still with him.

His face feels hot as he remembered their little "recap", him wanting to do it again, but he knew it probably wouldn't be possible for a little while. Probably when they're in a safer dimension.

A sudden clang snapped Ford's attention. Slowly, he stands up and moves forward, his gun in hand, ready to fire. He glares around, trying to find the source of the sound. His gun had a flashlight attachment on it and he clicks it on, a narrow white beam now in front of him. At this point he had approached a corner, and with a deep breath he whips around with his gun raised in case something was there.

Black emptiness.

"What?" Ford barely whispered as he felt a sudden heaviness to his body.

 _"_ _Did you miss me, Stanford?"_

That chilling, blood-curdling voice. It was so slippery like a snake, and Ford knew it well.

"Magum…"

 _"_ _Heh… did you really think that I was following that drunk's portal energy signature?"_

Ford tried to move his body, but he couldn't. Magum was part of the telekinetic race of demons. But now with the new information regarding his long-term possession of his host and how Magum had been friends with Bill Cipher at one point, Ford was practically crippled with fear.

"You were friends with Bill…" Ford stated. "You two started anarchy… killed demons and even your kind… Why?"

 _"_ _Order is the true anarchy. Why should rules dictate my fun? As for Bill… his own kind didn't even like him from the very beginning."_

"What do you mean…?"

 _"_ _I don't have to answer that."_

Ford then remembers from his first meeting with Magum, how they had made a deal. It was all a test… and this still was. Magum had even mentioned that he had made a deal with Bill, but was that the truth or a lie?

 _"_ _Oh… you still haven't figured it out yet have you?"_ Magum's chilling voice echoed in Ford's mind, making shivers go up his spine. _"I_ am _a demon after all, a master of manipulation and lies… all I have to do is say a few words along the puppet strings and the puppets do what I want."_

Ford's body chilled when he heard the word "puppet". He _hated_ puppets, ever since Bill had used him as one. Bill had used his body more times than Ford would like to admit, the man often finding odd bruises and marks on him, as if Bill was testing out his body's durability.

 _"_ _I_ wanted _Rick Sanchez to make his portal gun. I_ wanted _you and Layla to get close. I_ wanted _you to know about my past. I_ wanted _you to think you were trying to run from me… but I am_ always one step ahead. _"_ A chilling laughter fills what seemed like the whole world, making Ford shake and crumple to the floor, his heart pounding with fear.

Ford finally chokes out, "Why…?"

Another chilling laugh. _"Because, Stanford, how about we make a deal? You want to destroy Bill Cipher just as much as I do… and we both have a common attraction to little Miss Layla Bartek."_

Ford already knew where the demon was going. His brown eyes widened as his heart fell to the pit of his stomach as he heard Magum's next words.

 _"_ _Become my new puppet, my new host, Stanford Pines, and together we can destroy Bill Cipher… together we can rule the multiverse."_

"No…" Ford's voice was small and hoarse, he barely heard himself. His mind raced at an alarming speed. Was that why possibly Dr. Bartek was around so long before Layla killed him? Had Magum or even Bill wanted Dr. Bartek as a master puppet? Rick was probably on the potential list as well, but it seemed that Ford had been chosen. "Why… me…?"

 _"_ _You and I aren't so different, Stanford. You want knowledge… and knowledge is power. Power is what makes the multiverse go round, and it needs a ruler. Sure… I could've used Dr. Bartek… or I could've used Rick… but_ you _Stanford, I see myself in you."_

"I'm _nothing_ like you!" Ford growls.

 _"_ _Hmm? Oh, you're not? You pushed your own family away, not caring if they had lived or died. Sound familiar to me? You have a twin brother yes? Well, so do I, and guess what happened to him? He burned at my hands because of him holding me back. What did you do to your twin brother? Cut him out of your life._

 _"_ _Family is useless and pointless. You're better off as a puppet, and what Layla doesn't know won't hurt her, right?"_

"WRONG YOU ASSHOLE!"

Ford was suddenly broken out of his trance and collapsed fully onto the floor. In front of him Magum had materialized, this time without the skin that Ford was so used to seeing him wear.

Magum was in his true form, his body almost reptilian, but his skin was nothing but a pelt of red flames. His eyes were soulless white, inside fluid whirling as it searched through the minds of its prey. Coming out of his temples were his horns, long and curved upwards in an intricate design, almost like branches.

It was almost like seeing the Devil.

But at that moment, it seemed Magum was distracted. Ford turns his head to see Layla with her gun raised, her now pulling the trigger furiously.

"You are the biggest piece of shit in the multiverse!" Layla screams furiously, her electric blue eyes hard as ice. "You caused a war, you causes your own race and others to die! You _killed_ your own family! You piece of shit…! You manipulated my father, you and Cipher! You two are so deprived of love from yourselves and your families that you just wanted the multiverse to _burn_! Well, I got news for you asshole, _I'm_ not going to let that happen!"

 _"_ _Why you-"_

Ford took that as an opportunity to shoot at Magum's legs, causing the monstrosity to buckle. Layla had ran up to Ford and helped him up, she grabbed his hand and began to run. The two ran through the corridors, trying to go through whatever doors they could find. There was only one place to go. Up.

 _"_ _You think you can escape from me!?"_

The hall that Ford and Layla were in suddenly felt hot and red flames licked the walls, the boards on the windows burning to a crisp, the glass shattering all around them, causing the two to stop from the sudden heat. It felt as if the oxygen was being pulled from their lungs, causing them to collapse.

 _"_ _I don't think you understand the situation here…"_ Magum then materializes in front of Ford and picks him up his neck.

"Stanford!" Layla barely cries out, her face taking on a strange tint of blue.

 _"_ _I'm giving you one final choice here, Stanford. Become my puppet and you and Layla will live. Decide not and you'll die and she will face a punishment worse than death."_

Ford felt like that there was no choice. He _had_ to take the deal. Slowly, the brunette nods his head. A sinister smile crosses Magum's features, making him look _more terrifying than the Devil_. Ford was then lowered to the ground and the flames subsided, the two humans gasping for air.

Magum raises a hand, it engulfed with red flames.

 _"_ _Do we have a deal, Stanford Pines?"_

Ford went to raise his hand as well, ready to take the deal. He saw Layla's eyes widen, them filling with tears, her body trembling. If sacrificing himself was going to help her, the woman he loved live, he _had_ to.

"Stanford…" Layla chokes out. He looks at her, his hand hovering toward Magum's. "I need you to know that I love you… okay?" she says to him, the tears falling freely.

"Layla…?"

"I need you to get away. I love you, Stanford… and good luck…"

"Wait… WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Layla had gotten up from her position and then tackled Magum away from Ford, the two tripping over the broken window. Layla had taken her gun and was shooting Magum repeated into his skull, his wounds becoming more traumatic as there was barely any time for regeneration. Their two bodies began to fall as Ford rushed to the window to try to grab her hand. But it wasn't there.

Nothing was there.

A loud thud was heard from below, and Ford felt like he was frozen in time. His hand was outstretched to grab a hand he could never reach, his heart felt like it had stopped. The cold wind slapped his face, thunder booming overhead.

"No…" Ford moaned in agony. "No… no… _NO…. NO….!"_

Although his legs felt like lead and that he felt like he was going to throw up his internal organs he had forced himself to run back to the bottom of the building. His heart clung to the hope that she was still alive… she had to be. His mind on the other hand was saying the bitter truth.

 _NO I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT!_

Ford makes it to the bottom, seeing where the two could've fallen. Laying crumpled in the concrete was the small form of Layla, a pool of her scarlet blood beneath her. Her electric blue eyes were now practically a dull gray, the life drained away. Her usually pale skin took on a sullen tone, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

"No…" Ford's voice wavered. "Layla… no… why… why did you _do_ that?!" His voice rang out in despair and agony as the acidic rain began to fall, the drops hissing against the woman's skin, destroying her body. Ford felt the stings on his own skin, but all he could do was stare at Layla's broken form as his sobs ripped through him.

The mighty Oak tree had fallen.

* * *

 **A/N:** AND BAM! Feel your feels being torn to shreds! I'm sorry this took longer than I thought... I was honestly having a hard time coming up with the in between of the chapter. And now we go back to "After Cipher's Reign: Short Stories" and watch as Ford relays one of the most painful memories of his life.

Thank you for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	29. Snow Falls

**Chapter 29: Snow Falls**

The first few snowflakes of the season gently fluttered down, hitting the solid ground, the air having a deep chill to it.

Frost was spider-webbed across the glass windows of the house, making it resemble cracked glass. Inside the home it was becoming noticeable that the temperature was dropping, but to Stan it was still pretty warm.

It was the end of November, the snowfall beginning to pick up and accumulate on the earthy floor. As Stan stared out the window, his breath fogging the windows, the earth soon became covered with a thin dust of white.

 _It's been almost a year… just a couple of months away…_

Stan shivers, but it wasn't from the cold.

He moves away from the window, heading toward the thermostat to turn the heat up to a more comfortable temperature. For once after over ten years Stan was spending winter in a house instead of his car. His car during the winter was like sleeping in a freezer, Stan recalling how a few times he had almost lost his fingers to frostbite. He never kept his car running for the heat, the big scare going around about carbon monoxide being produced from car exhaust, and during the winter with the snow the tailpipe could get clogged up and the carbon monoxide would have no choice but to recirculate back into the vehicle.

With a sigh, Stan puts on his dirty red coat, the one that he hadn't worn since last winter, and his boots to go out for a walk on the snowy path. His breaths were small clouds as his hands were stuffed into his coat pockets, the hood drawn over his head. As he walked it felt like he was coming to Gravity Falls, Oregon for the first time…

Another shiver that wasn't from the cold.

 _I need a new coat…_

The memory of his twin's face looking horrified as he was being pulled into the portal flashed in Stan's min. Subconsciously he puts a hand to the poorly sewn patch that was on the coat, where underneath was a red, fleshy looking burn scar. They both made mistakes that night.

But Stan was the one who made the worse one.

He shook his head, not wanting to think about it. However, it kept haunting him, _gnawing_ at his very fiber of being.

 _It's my fault… he could be horribly hurt… he could be dead… it's all my fault._

The dark gray skies overhead seemed to get darker, almost feeling like the sky was entrapping Stan in his guilt. Snowflakes fell faster, the winding picking up and blowing a deep, icy chill into Stan's bones.

His footsteps halter, him trying to keep balance. He felt like he couldn't breathe, the guilt squeezing his lungs. When he took deep breaths, the icy air only hurt him, making his gasp painfully. The edges of his vision blurred, his breathing becoming ragged, the blood roaring in his ears as his heart pounded a million miles an hour. A numbing sensation went over the tips of his finger and toes, a tingle as if they had fallen asleep.

He was going through a panic attack.

Stan tries to take a step forward, but stumbled terrible, his legs buckling beneath him.

 _It's all my fault… I can't even get him back… I should just die here in the cold… it's been long overdue._

He fully collapses into the snow, the cold no longer bothering him as his body was already numb. His eyes flutter shut and all he sees in darkness as his consciousness slowly drifts out…

* * *

His eyes flutter open, feeling his body being dragged against the cold ground, leaving a trail.

Stan gasps, realizing that he _was_ being dragged. As if by reflex he starts moving body to get out of the tight grip that held onto the hood of his coat, a surprised grunt from whoever was dragging him.

"What are you doing?" a deep voice bellowed, causing Stan to flinch slightly. "Will you stop moving? You're making this difficult…"

Stan clenches his jaw and closes his eyes tightly as he was slowed to stop, his body no longer being dragged. He sat there, waiting, just like any other time he had found his body being dragged when he was unconscious. Stan was expecting a cold barrel of a gun to be at his temple as his life was threatened before he made his move to escape.

But that feeling never came.

He opens one eye to see a young man that was as big as a small house with red hair standing over him. The young man had a slight beard growing, him wearing a brown lumberjack hat with the front having faux –or was it real?- tan fur, him wearing a thick red and black flannel coat with thick black pants and high leather boots.

"Dan… Corduroy?" Stan asked in shock, bewilderment in his voice. "What… what are you doing?" he then asks, him actually a little frightened. Even though Dan was in his late teens, early twenties, he was at least three times bigger than Stan, vertically and horizontally. Stan could probably never beat him in a fight if given a chance, despite Stan's _way_ too many past experiences. Maybe he knows that Stan isn't really Stanford… faking your own death and stealing your twin brother's identity must be a huge lawbreaker.

"I'm getting you back to your house, Mr. Pines," Dan huffed as if it were obvious, his giving his green eyes a roll of irritation.

Stan looks around curiously, as if expecting another person or two to suddenly show up and beat him into a pulp. "My… house?" Stan repeats with perplexity.

Dan gives him an odd look. "Yeah…" Dan drew the word out long and slow. "You're house, Mr. Pines, you know, the one I helped build with my dad and grandpa under Northwest Realities?" he then elaborated, his words still slow.

Stan narrows his eyes. "Okay, cut that bullshit, I'm not an idiot," he growls. He then stands out, brushing the snow off himself. He looked to the sky to see that it was nightfall, the stars dazzling the dark navy sky, a half-moon glowing a brilliant silver.

Dan huffs, "Coulda fooled me, you walking around in the beginning of a blizzard."

Stan looks around, seeing how much deeper the snow was then when he had first started his walk. His facial expression turns into panic. How long was he outside? The coldness hit him like the one time he got hit by a car in New York trying to run from a gang that he owed money to. Immediately he began shivering, his teeth chattering painfully. In a form of desperation he began to rub his arms to create friction for warmth.

"Let's get ya back to the house," Dan ordered, pulled the older man gently by the sleeve of his raggedy coat.

They weren't too far from the house to begin with, Dan had dragged Stan a pretty good distance. Once they were inside Stan went to the thermostat and cranked it up, Dan going into the kitchen and making a pot of coffee.

"Alright, Mr. Pines," the young redhead called out as he exited the kitchen, seeing Stan wrapping a blanket around himself. "I got a pot of coffee brewin' for ya,"

"Thank you," Stan thanked, his voice distorted sounding from his chattering.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Dan rolled his eyes again. "Maybe I should talk to my pop about putting more insulation in the house… when we built it originally you basically said you wanted a big basement," he comments, him looking around at the support beams and rafters to make sure they were holding up.

"Did I now?" Stan inquired. Of course Stanford wanted a big basement… it had that lab and the damn portal.

"I'm assuming it's to store your merchandise," Dan shrugged.

Stan looked at the redhead with confusion. "Um… yeah…" Stan followed up, him raising a brown brow.

Dan suddenly looked at the clock that was on the wall. "Oh, look at the time… I actually gotta head home," he exclaimed, his face going into panic. "Mom will kill me if I am late for dinner again…" he muttered to himself as he shook a fist. "Ya gonna be okay, Mr. Pines?" Dan then asked, and when Stan nodded the redhead gave a thumbs up and quipped that Stan should get a better coat the next time he wanted to take a walk.

Once he left Stan just looked absently out the window, seeing the redhead head back into the woods. How did that boy not realize that Stan wasn't Stanford? Obviously he had met with his twin multiple times to discuss the building of the house, surly Dan could've recognized the noticeable facial difference the brothers shared.

Stanford's nose, much like Stan's, was inherited from their father. Stan's was slightly bigger than Ford's, much to Stan's annoyance. Stan also didn't have a cleft chin like his twin did, something that few people overlook. And the one major difference between the twins…

Stanford had six fingers on each hand.

"That's… odd…" Stan murmured to himself, wrapping the blanket around him slightly tighter. "I wonder… if it has something to do with those guys in the robes…" he gives shudder, thinking about Old Man McGucket and how insane he was.

The coffee machine beeped, signaling that the coffee was finished. Stan takes a deep inhale, the scent seemingly warm him from the inside. The deep, aroma of the smell of coffee reminded Stan when he would see his mother down cup after cup in the kitchen. Stan himself wasn't much of a coffee drinker, one or two in the morning was enough for him, but it seemed that his mother and Stanford had to practically inject themselves with the dark liquid to get the caffeinated benefits.

Stan poured himself a cup and sat at the kitchen table, staring at his reflection in the steaming liquid. His mournful expression mirrored him though the coffee, which only gave him a pang in his chest, the face too similar to his brother's…

 _You look like Mom on her tenth cup of coffee…_

That night… almost a year ago. Stan had come to the house because after slightly over ten years Stanford was reaching out to him. Stan had thought that the two brothers would finally reconcile, but alas it was not the case.

Stanford aimed a crossbow to Stan's face as soon as he had opened the door, his brown eyes wide with panic and fear. Thick bags were under his eyes, making him look so sickly, as if hadn't slept in days, maybe weeks. Stanford's five-o'clock shadow was thick and patchy from not shaving and his brown hair was disheveled from almost ripping his hair out. He had been so on edge that every creak in the wooden floorboards as the two walked made the man jump and look around wildly, him mumbling nonsense under his breath.

 _You left me behind, you jerk! It was supposed to be us forever, you ruined my life!_

 _You ruined your own life!_

Stan's left hand goes to his right shoulder, remembering the blistering pain of the metal branding his skin. He remembered Stanford's face, looking so guilty for hurting him. But Stan was having none of that, he punched his twin brother in the face.

 _Some brother_ you _turned out to be!_ _You care more about your dumb mysteries than your family? Well then…_ YOU CAN HAVE 'EM!

All that anger, harnessed over the years had boiled over. Stan had always defended Stanford from the world when they made of him, whether it was from his polydactyl to his obsession with the supernatural, Stan defended him from bullies. He was always jealous that his brother was so much more intelligent than him, but he never dare let that show. Stan deemed himself as the screw-up, the unplanned son, the unplanned nuisance to his family, he put himself into that role. Stan did it to protect his brother from when he did do something wrong… He knew that his brother was destined for greatness, destined to make the world different, but not him…

 _All you ever do is lie and cheat right on your brother's coattails!_

A loud crash echoed in the room. Stan had thrown his coffee mug against the wall, the shards scattering to the floor just as the snow scattered to the ground outside. He would never forget those words his father uttered to him, it hit the nail on the head that he was truly unwanted by his own father.

"It's my fault…" Stan softly mumbled, feeling his eyes sting. He stubbornly held back the tears, his pride burning in his chest. "It's been my fault since the beginning… but I'm going to _fix_ it!"

He then gets up from the table and walks out of the kitchen, ignoring the mess on the floor from his mug, and he heads straight to his brother's lab. The elevator whirred as it descended, Stan tearing his ragged coat off of him and throwing it to the ground. Once the elevator arrived to his destination, the view of the portal from behind the safety glass seemed to mock him.

"It's been almost a year… but I'm _going to fix it!_ "


	30. A World So Cold

**Chapter 30: A World So Cold**

Never in his life have he ever felt so cold.

His body was numb, an icy feeling trickling through his veins. He could barely breathe, his breaths small and infrequent. His brain was still processing on what had happened… why did it happen? Was there a different solution? Still as a statue, he gazed at the broken body before him, feeling the back of his neck sting as the acidity of the rain fell onto his skin. There were no words, there were no tears… Just a dead numbness.

Then finally, Ford just started screaming.

His scream turned into a cry, his voice distorted with grief and sorrow. He collapses to his knees, the puddles of the acid rain dissolving through the pants, burning his leg in the process. There was nothing he could do as slowly Layla's body started dissolving away, the acid eating through her skin. It stripped her skin and muscle, then finally through her bones. It must've been hours that Ford had been there before her body was finally gone.

How did it happen…? Everything almost seemed too fast for his brain to process. One moment he was hearing her voice, and the next she was simply gone. _Why_ did it happen? What did Magum want to prove? That he was stronger than Ford? To prove that he was much more dangerous than Bill Cipher? Or was this in a way a punishment from Ford's past mistakes in life?

The same questions buzzed in Ford's mind. _How_ and _Why_?

Numbly, Ford stands up, his body shaking violently. He felt as if he was going to be sick, his chest ached painfully to the point where a simple thought of some sort of cardiac arrest came to mind. He takes one final look to where Layla had fallen, though there was no longer a body, and he hangs his head low as he stumbled away.

Ford drags his feet, barely wanting to lift them. It felt like there was no point anymore, no hand to grab his as he was led to some sort of misadventure. There was no warmth against him, all he felt was an icy chill in his veins. There no humming, there was no gentle sway of long black hair.

But nothing was there.

Just like when he had tried to grab for her hand…

He felt his vision go blurry, something hot staining his face. Silent tears were falling free as his hand slid toward his holster on his left side. All six fingers wrapped around the handle on interdimensional gun and he pulls it out, the gun feeling extremely heavy in his hand. Slowly, he raised it to his left temple, his finger shaking at the trigger, threatening to pull it.

 _I need you to get away._

Ford's hand stops shaking, the gun slipping from it and crashing to the ground. Motionless he stood there, letting the acid rain burn him on his exposed skin. He felt his eyes widen as more tears fell. He couldn't do that to himself… not when she had given up her life for him.

"I wasn't worth it…" he whispered to no one in particular.

Ford was about to make a deal with another demonic entity, one who was potentially more powerful and much more evil than Bill Cipher, to protect Layla. Although it wasn't a true guarantee that she wouldn't be harmed, it meant that she would be alive.

"How is it that I feel so empty…?" he once again whispers to no one in particular. "I have been alone for many years of my life… I shouldn't feel like this…"

But he did, all because he once again trusted someone. He trusted Layla with all his heart and gave all his love too. If hadn't let her in, maybe she would be alive and he would've died a long time ago. He let her in, broke his shell, and he fell in love with her.

 _Promise me you'll wake up._

 _I will…_

His heart caught in his throat. She will never wake up again.

 _I need you to get away._

"Get away…" he softly says to himself. He lowers his left hand and balls it into a fist. With a swift motion he picks up his gun and slides it back into his holster. He raises the hood of his coat up and began walking back to the warehouse where he and Layla had stayed before. Their supplies were still there, and he quickly packs up his items.

A soft fabric brushes against his hand. He looks down, seeing the scarf that Layla had worn next to where she had slept. His hand reached to the spot where she had been sleeping before, the bedding cold to the touch, it no longer even holding the slightest of her body heat. Once again his heart caught in his throat as he grabbed the scarf, him already smelling her scent on it.

 _I love you._

Ford's eyes fluttered, him releasing a yawn. He never got to sleep from before. Without even thinking about it, he curls up onto the bedding that Layla had used, her scent somewhat calming him. He could almost hear her cling bottles together as she slowly got drunk, or her humming, or even her singing.

That song she had sang before…

 _"_ _A star that shines as clear as day, made me wish I can go out and play, but remember the night holds a strange magic air, and this warning to you is to be fair."_ Ford began to sing, although very hoarsely as more tears fell.

 _"_ _In the shadows there are people who are not what they seem, they'll want to take you down the deathly black water stream, don't take their hand within yours, or forever you'll be put behind the deathly doors._

 _"_ _A star that shines as clear as day, oh how it made me wish to go out and play, so I took the hand of a shadow that called and beckoned me, and now I feel my soul become free."_

His eyes closed as he drowsily broke off the song, exhaustion taking over him.

* * *

 _"_ _Well, well, well! If it isn't my good ol' pal, Stanford Pines!"_

The first thing that caught Ford's attention was Bill's shrill cackle. Ford whips his head around a wheat covered landscape, him seeing an old wrecked boat in the distance along with a swings set on a beach.

"Show yourself you damn demon!" Ford bellowed angrily. "I don't have time to play your stupid sadistic games, Cipher!"

The triangle appeared, his size massive, taking almost the full field of wheat. His one eye in the center was looking straight through Ford, and if the demon had a mouth to smile, he would.

 _"_ _Well, looks like Lover Boy here lost his little girlfriend!"_ Bill laughs, his body glowing with each word. A bottle of what looked to be like wine appears before him and so does two glasses. He pours the blood red liquid into the glasses and one was materialized to Ford.

Ford glanced at the glass, the wine looking suspiciously like blood. A mental flash passes through him as he saw Layla's blood pooled beneath her, the blood trickling from her mouth… He wanted to vomit. Ford knocks the glass away, the blood red drink staining the wheat below, the liquid forming what looked like a body…

"You _son of a bitch_!" Ford screams with fury, his face reddening as Bill just laughed at him.

 _"_ _What?"_ Bill asked innocently, blinking his one eyes in mock bashfulness. Suddenly cheese appears next to Ford. _"Would you like some cheese with that whine, Fordsy?"_ His shrill laugh echoes around as Ford stood there fuming.

"You had something to do with it… _DIDN'T YOU_!?" Ford accused, him looking as if he snapped his fingers flames would blaze. Even though this was his mindscape, his thoughts were not rational right now due to his grief.

Bill feigns idiocy, _"Me, Stanford? Why, I never! Like I know what Magum does with his spare time… following him while he was tracking you and little Miss Bartek was all I was doing."_ He narrows his eyes towards Ford, the expression giving the illusion of a smile. _"Or maybe I_ do _know something…"_

"CIPHER!"

Bill waves a finger at Ford, making the _tsk_ sound at the brunette. _"Like I will give away my secrets so easily… maybe you should just find me and beg for death."_

Ford's eyes narrowed. Like hell he would give up his life now, not when Bill still threatened Earth and that Magum was still roaming.

Bill betrayed his trust and Magum killed the woman he loved.

"Mark my words, Bill," Ford began darkly as a notepad appeared in Bill's hands as he began writing. "I will find you, I will _kill_ you, and I will kill Magum. You two are _not_ getting to Earth… you both aren't going to hurt the people I care about anymore!"

The notepad disappears from Bill's hands. _"Oh, I'd like to see that, Ford! Not unless I have my fun with you first! And remember… I can still enter dreams in the other dimension… I mean, I believe you have a permanent visitor at your house that I can whisper to…"_

"S-Stanley…?" Ford gasped in shock. "YOU LEAVE HIM OUT OF THIS!"

 _"_ _Tsk, tsk, tsk, Ford. I barely have to do anything,"_ Bill mused. _"And besides… I_ see _and_ know _everything!"_ Images flash on his body, showing a bus and two small silhouettes to an image of something that resembled a snow globe. _"I already have something planned, Ford… and I believe our little friend Magum has his own plans too…"_

Ford narrows his eyes angry, clearly baffled. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, YOU DEMON!?"

 _"_ _O'LL VS AWDUPOJ YIC!"_ A sudden circle appears as Bill enters the center, emblems decorating the circle. Ford recognized it as Bill's zodiac wheel, the one he had seen in Gravity Falls and the one Rick had shown him. Each symbol was highlighted a brilliant white as it went around, getting faster and faster to the point where a bright flash of white filled the mindscape.

Ford jolts awake, his hand to his chest to calm his beating heart. Once it slowed he noticed that his hand was gripping tightly to Layla's scarf.

 _I will kill them both… they will not toy with me any longer._

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry this took so long and was short! I just started my college classes again this week!

Who now wants to decipher what Bill said? It's the same cipher used for the short story "The Mystery of Ford's Past" that Dipper was speaking in.

Thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	31. The Wanderer

**Chapter 31: The Wanderer**

The world around him was nothing but a blur as he walked down the crowded streets of some random dimension he had slipped in, the world tinted darkly as the goggle fitted over his glasses and a dark blue scarf wrapped around his neck to cover the lower half of his face.

He didn't have a care in the world as he rudely bumped into pedestrians, him only seeing the main goal in his mind.

Killing Bill Cipher and Magum.

Bill was a being that Ford could read, the man having had spent a lot of time with the triangular demon. He could tell that Bill was sadistic enough to play people like dolls, to flatter them easily with false words of his silver tongue, and of course to have a beloved puppet.

 _Puppet._

That was one of Bill's favorite words.

And that was what Ford had become.

Ford was nothing but a puppet to these demons, playing in the hands of Bill and even Magum. It infuriated him, his blood boiling, that he was not smart enough to see through them. And now because of his ignorance the world was in jeopardy and Layla was dead.

He slips into an alleyway and grabs the couple of books he had inside his trench coat. First he pulled out the book that was Magum's, written in an odd language. Secondly he pulls out the book the merchant had given him, an ancient text that helped decipher the language. Ford flips through the pages, recognizing a couple of languages thanks to Layla but needed to come up with a better tactic in communication. Once he found a language he was the most familiar with he began deciphering what Magum had wrote, and it was honestly taking extremely long.

By the time darkness was clouding the skies overhead Ford had honestly deciphered half of the first page. He had to translate the ancient language into an alien language he had a decent grasp on. But, even that wasn't enough as Ford had to then translate it into English, which frustrated him as some words in the alien language didn't have an exact translation in English.

"'Since ancient times we powerful groups of demons had overran this part of the multiverse,'" Ford began to read aloud to himself. "'But, this part of the multiverse should be enough, correct? No, what we need is _more_ power. We, the Hierarchy of Demons, are considered the most powerful forms of demons, said to have been born originally from the Satanic Hierarch, and categorized into the following: Blood Demons, Dream Demons, Psychological Demons, Love Demons, Fear Demons, Cosmic Demons, and a couple of others that had fallen off the scale as they have become unworthy of their titles.'"

Ford had only translated that much, and it confused him. The merchant had said that out of the Hierarchy of Demons that Bill and Magum were the only ones still alive, besides of course severely diluted descendants. If these were powerful demons how did they get killed by the others? There had to be some sort of weapon, some sort of cosmic energy substance that had the ability to eradicate these powerful demons out of existence.

 _Bill has a zodiac wheel… and so does Magum… did the demons that were mentioned that were "unworthy" of being part of the Hierarchy of Demons made these to stop them from wiping out everyone?_

Ford shuts the books and stuffs them back into his trench coat. With a defeated sigh and leaned against the wall in the alleyway he was in. Never had he ever felt so alone.

His entire life he had his twin brother at his side, the two conquering whatever life threw at them. But after such a high betrayal of trust Ford had cut his twin out of his life, thinking he was better off alone to pursue his future. But even then he had felt lonely being alone in his house in the woods all the time and he befriended a demon. Then of course there was his trusted friend Fiddleford McGucket, who had warned Ford that portal was dangerous when he had accidently slipped inside during a test run, but once again Ford became alone when he cut his friend out. But soon after is when Ford realized that Bill had been using him, making him paranoid at his surroundings and questioning his very sanity.

He had thought he was better off alone.

Until he met Layla.

He trusted her, not at first but he did because she knew how to survive. He also had a feeling not to trust her because of her father. But the more time he spent with her, the more they talked and interacted, it felt so natural that the moment she was there was some sort of void inside of him. Not only did the trust shatter, his heart did too.

Now two people he loved and cared about were out of his life.

His brother, Stanley. His love, Layla.

Not wanting to think about it he gets up and moves out of the alleyway, seeing a significant decrease in pedestrians. His boots clicked lightly on the cobblestone ground, him heading toward anywhere with a source of light. Ford wanted to continue to transcribe the language in Magum's book, and he also didn't want to sleep.

Ford didn't want Bill to enter his dreams.

Despite Bill being a demon, a demon it seemed like needed a contract of some kind, or a deal. With this deal the demon can have access to the person they had made the contract with. This could be possession and full access to their memories/functions. It seemed like the person they made a contract with was some sort of catalyst, as if their original bodies were nonexistent.

Ford remembered that Layla had said that Magum was using a host body, someone whom he had made a contract with. But, he had a physical form somewhere else, which was the form Ford had seen as he and Layla…

He shakes his head.

Ford mumbles under his breath, remembering how Bill technically didn't have a physical body, that is was stripped away. How was it stripped away? Who had done it if Bill and Magum were the only ones living that were once part of the Hierarchy of Demons? There had to be _something_ that was higher than the demons, some sort of deity… but what?

Once Ford made it to what looked like a bar he slips inside and heads to the most lighted part of the room. He sits at a seemingly empty table and sits away from the other patrons, taking out his books and blocking out all the noise as he focused on his task; although from time to time his thoughts drifted over onto how Layla would be slamming down drinks… how her inconsistent drunk babbling would humor him… how she was very clingy to him…

Ford's hand stop writing out his translations, it trembling causing his pen that he had found in some sort of office setting to shake terribly. His eyes stung as he felt hot tears stain his cheeks, a couple of drops hitting the ancient paper. Slowly, he shuts the books and stuffs them back into his trench coat. Right now he couldn't focus on that… he needed to do something.

He went up to the bar after he had dried his eyes, asking the bartender for two shots of their hardest alcohol. Once he was given the drinks Ford gave him some form of currency he managed to pickpocket from someone recently. Ford goes back to his seat and sets the drinks on the table, the liquid trembling as the other patrons down the table began slamming their fists down onto the tabletop.

 _You need to lighten up, Ford._

 _One of us has to be sober._

"Lighten up, huh?" Ford mumbles darkly to himself as he picked up the shot and slammed it. It was oddly sweet in the back of his throat, but because of not eating and the strong alcohol content his vision was already starting to get blurry. "I-I'll l-l-lighten up…" he slurred as he took the second shot.

His vision completely blacks out as his head slammed into the table.

 _"_ _Well, IQ, did you like your drink?"_

Ford gasps as he stood up in the wheat field, once again in his dreamscape. His brown eyes narrow darkly as he glanced around, trying to find the source of that damn shrill voice.

 _"_ _That is so sweet!"_ Bill's voice mocked, his tone turning disgusted at the word "sweet". _"You're drinking for her aren't you? Gotta say, that Layla was quite an alcoholic…"_

"Shut up," Ford's voice was soft, but filled with anger. Even though his tone was soft, it seemed to project forward. "I will destroy you…"

 _"_ _What're ya gonna do, Sixer?"_ Bill laughed humorlessly. _"You're a scientist! What is energy?"_

Ford recites perfectly from his memory banks, him have taken so many different physics classes during his college years, "Energy is a property of object which can be transferred into other objects or converted into different forms."

 _"_ _Exactly, IQ!"_ Bill cheered as he suddenly appeared in front of Ford, small in size, poking his forehead. _"Also… energy cannot be made or destroyed… only changed! I'm a demonic being of pure energy! You_ CAN'T _kill me!"_

"Then how the hell did you and Magum kill the other demons!?" Ford screams. "Including your own kind!?"

Bill's body then flashes different scenes, oddly looking like many different kinds of beings being eradicated from existence. A certain scene kept flashing, what looked like a whole land being burned by blue fire.

 _"_ _We didn't_ 'kill' _them really…"_ Bill stated. _"It's more like… we transferred their energy into_ us _."_

Ford's eyes widened. "You mean to tell me… that all those demons… including demons form your own home… are part of your energy makeup…?" he asked, trying to process all the information.

Bill's size grows immensely, his one eye glaring into Ford. His eye was a solid black, his slit pupil now a blood red.

 _"_ _And they are still alive… being tortured within me very fabric of being… watching... begging to be released… their very fiber of being used to kill and slaughter everything in my path… and oh how their cries amuse me!_

 _"_ _Even though I may not have a true physical form… yet… all the energy is mine to manipulate! One thing you and I got in common, Ford, cut the 'friends' you have…"_

Ford flinched repulsively at that statement. "We _aren't_ alike," he growled. He then thinks back to the merchant. "You and Magum were friends at one point… and he made you take all the blame and your physical form was taken away… who did it?"

 _"_ _Like I'd tell you…"_ Bill lowly replied, his voice taking on a dangerous tone. The wheat field then began to become engulfed in blue flames. _"And if you keep digging… well, I can't stop you… but you may not like the answers…"_

Ford shouts, "What the _hell_ does that mean!?"

 _"_ _O'LL VS AWDUPOJ YIC!"_ Bill's insane cackle echoes around as the blue flames grew and grew, even slowly engulfing Ford.

Ford shouts as he tries to slap away the flames, but it seemed to only make things worse. Ge felt the flames lick across him, searing into him, feeling as if being branded by hot metal. He screams loudly at the immense pain, and it felt as if would never end…

He gasps loudly as he eyes flew open, his head on the table at the bar that he was in. The room was substantially much quieter, the last of the patrons leaving. Ford looks around, seeing that he was the only one still sitting. He gets up, and like the rest of the bar goers, he leaves.

 _I may not like the answers…? Well… having answers will be better than not having them…_

As he left the bar he goes into an alley way, seeing a shimmer in the distance. A natural portal was opening up, a chance for him to leave this current dimension. With no hesitation he goes through, the other side nothing but a grassy landscape.

Ford puts on his goggles and raises the scarf that had once belonged to Layla over the lower half of his face. The lone wanderer begins to walk through the grassy hills, the wind gently blowing a breeze across the blades of grass.

There was no one to accompany him anymore. No twin brother. No friend. No lover.

Just him, and only him, the lone wanderer.


	32. To Destroy a Demon

**Chapter 32: To Destroy a Demon**

Ford was once again trying to decipher the language that Magum had written in, trying to find some way to be able to fight Bill Cipher in any way possible, and possibly find a different weakness for Magum besides his wheel.

What Bill had said to Ford was true, that he was a demon made of energy. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but only transferred. If Ford could somehow rip apart his energy molecules… to deform his fabric of being for it to be scattered across the cosmos…

An almost sinister smile crosses Ford's features. He can rip Bill, and possibly, Magum apart with some sort of energy manipulating weapon. The scientist goes through the journal and finds a blank page, him ripping from it. He began drawing up some sort of blueprint for his idea.

A Quantum Destabilizer.

Finding the items to build it was going to be the most difficult, especially an energy source that can power it up enough to rip a demon's very fabric of being apart. Ford's mind kept going back to Rick's portal gun that he basically made out of scraps, if a drunk man can do that then Ford should have no problem building his gun.

After he was done making the main blueprints of his gun he went back to deciphering, something had caught his attention and he began reading.

 _"_ _I fear the worse… my own kind has caught up to myself and my friend. We just wanted to have fun, living in such a flat world can be so boring. So, why not a little… anarchy? Start a few fights and watch in the background to be entertained? These fools and their strict rules, liberation to the flatness is what we need. Bill and I have a plan."_

 _"_ _I had no choice… they had brought me to the Axolotl… I told him that Bill had entered my dreams to manipulate me. I couldn't lose my physical form, not after what I had accomplished. So, the great Axolotl stripped Bill of his physical form and sent him back to the flat world we tried so hard to escape."_

"Axo… Axolotl?" Ford murmured aloud. He recognized that name, it was some kind of lizard on Earth. It was an interesting creature, Ford had wished to have one as a pet in his fish tank back in Gravity Falls but seemed to always have forget to do so. But… the way "axolotl" was written, with a capital letter to signify a proper name, it was like it was its own deity. Ford continued reading his translations.

 _"_ _There is nothing fire that is burning. The Dream Demon's Blue Fire runs through my land as my race's red fire burns through his. He sits there, possessing one of his own kind, laughing as both worlds burned. This was not what I had wanted before… but why not take advantage of the situation? My own family is high in power, getting rid of them to have their power as my own will not be difficult. In some way I must thank my 'dear friend' Bill Cipher for this powerful opportunity."_

"He didn't even care…" Ford whispered in horror. He finally shuts the book, him settling in the pile of blankets he had packed with him for his travels. Ford had managed to find one of the secret alcoves in the dimension he was in. To him it felt extremely cold, him being used to the fact that another body was in the cramped space with him.

He managed to fall asleep, but just barely. Those pages he translated were still fresh in his mind. Bill did say that he and Magum had absorbed the energy of their own kind, and who knows what else. But Ford had to stop them both before they reach Earth… Magum already has a physical form, which is not good in the slightest, but if Bill got his back…

 _That would make ripping his energy apart a little difficult…_

Ford had woken up with a start the next morning, feeling terrified that he was being watched. It felt odd to sleep without the comfort of someone else near him. If he could guess how long he had been in the portal he could gauge it most likely about a year now… time seemed so much different in the portal, it seemed faster most of the time. So, during the year he had the comfort of Layla with him, now that she was gone, time seemed painfully slow.

He gets up and gathers his few belongings, a new goal in mind. Ford had to get the components for his new weapon to defeat Bill and Magum, but in order to do this he needed the resources…

Ford decided to go back to the dimension that held one of Magum's facilities, the one where he had first met Rick.

Without something to channel the energy to make a portal, Ford just had to go on a whim through the random ones that pop up. It could take a while as some portals only open up once every few years. But Ford had no choice… he needed to make that weapon, even if it takes him the rest of his life and it was the last thing he did was to kill the two demons.

So, he began his journey.

The first portal that Ford went through it took him to dimension that was filled to the brim with glitter and rainbows, with many fantasy creatures. Ford grimaced at this as it reminded him of the unicorns he had to deal with back in Gravity Falls. He knew there was no information to be obtained here, so he quickly found another portal and left, only to find himself in an odd dimension that only spoke in rhymes. This frustrated him as he had to try to find simple words to rhyme about the technology he was trying to find to beings that didn't understand science at all.

Time seemed to be an unknown factor in this part of the multiverse, it felt so slow yet he could begin to see gray strands in his normally dark brown hair. Was it stress or time? He could not tell and he didn't care, he needed that technology to make his weapon.

Ford did manage to find a dimension that seemed to be highly advanced in science, so he figured he would stay there to find some of the components for his weapon. The people around him seemed to look just like humans, which felt odd to him as he could swear he saw people that looked similar to people he had known.

For one he could swear he saw a couple walking down the street that looked like his parents, so he did a double take. With his hands beginning to sweat he went into an alleyway and put his back to the wall, him sliding down. His breathing was panicked, him in shock that he was seeing people.

Ford then remembers the one dimension that Dr. Bartek had built that one house that used their mental wants to make it a real. Is this dimension some kind of illusion based one? He didn't want to know, he just had to get into some facility, get whatever components he needed for his weapon, and get out of this dimension. This place was starting to creep him out.

He proceeds to wrap the scarf over the lower half of his face. If people looked similar from Earth to him, maybe someone from this dimension would recognize him in some odd way. Ford exits the alleyway, him walking down the road, it gleaming in the dim sunlight, a clanking sound from underneath his feet.

 _Odd… the road is made out of some metal alloy…_ Ford thought as he looked at the ground oddly.

As he had glanced down at the metal road he had bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean-" Ford began to apologize as he glanced back up, but was cut off by what he saw.

Layla.

"Oh, that's okay, they just put these roads in, so people are still getting used to them," the woman assured. Her voice was identical to Layla's, a naturally high sounding voice from when Layla didn't think about purposely making her voice a bit lower.

Ford just stared, as this Layla looked a lot neater than the one he was used to. This Layla's jet black hair was glossy and healthy looking, it still looking feathered around her pale face. Her electric blue eyes were bright and unwavering, them looking like they've never seen a terrible thing like death and destruction.

"Sir… are you okay?" the doppelganger asked, her voice sounding sharp.

Ford shook his head to clear his thoughts. "I'm fine… sorry about running into you…" he tells her. He tries to walk away but a hand stops him.

"You look familiar…" she stated. "Are you related to Dr. Stanford Pines?" she then asked.

Ford flinches. So there was a version of him in this dimension after all.

"Um… you have me confused with someone else," Ford lied.

"Are you his twin brother then…?" she then asks, her putting a finger to her chin. "Stanley?"

Ford again flinches. When the two twins were children not many people ever mixed them up. Obviously people knew which was which because of the one huge major difference between them. Ford's six fingers.

Ford clutches his hands tightly, hiding his fingers.

"Um, yeah," Ford smoothly lies. "In fact… I'm looking for my brother's new research facility…"

Layla's eyes practically lights up. "Oh, I know what you're talking about, my father works in that department. It's dimensional travel research," she says happily. "I can take you there."

"You're… father?" Ford stammered. His memories flash of Dr. Bartholomew Bartek, and how Layla had put a gun to his head and shot him repeatedly. But obviously… in this dimension… he was… good?

Layla's dopplegnager furrows her brow confusedly. "Um… yeah, my dad, Dr. Bartek. He was hired by Dr. Pines because of his knowledge on stem cell research. He was recently transferred to dimensional travel research as my dad has a PhD in quantum physics as well," she quickly explains. Ford then looks at Layla's left hand. Instead of not having her partial thumb and pinky, there were fully formed fingers. Layla noticed his stare. "My father cured me…" she said lowly, her tone darkening.

"Sorry… I didn't mean to-" Ford began but was cut off by Layla.

"Do you want to get to that facility or not?" she snapped.

Ford's chest tightens. That sounded like the Layla he knew… even the blue fire in her eyes looked like when Layla was angry. He had to glance away.

"Yes, Ma'am," Ford replied softly. As she huffed he followed, looking at how she was wearing a long form-fitting coat as it clung to her body. But he couldn't focus on that right now, he had to get to that facility and get some of the technology he needed for his Quantum Destabilizer.

Apparently it wasn't too far, it was just a few blocks away. The facility was also doubled for stem cells for amputees for their procedures to recover limbs, and that was also a reason why Dr. Bartek was stationed there besides his knowledge in other areas. Once inside the building Layla was trying to talk to someone at the front desk, but Ford snuck away, leaving her confused in the lobby on where he had gone.

"That wasn't her… that wasn't her…" Ford kept saying to himself. That wasn't the Layla he had known, it was a completely different one. It didn't matter that his heart was aching painfully, he needed to get what he needed and leave.

Ford managed to find a storage room to hole himself up in until nightfall. It would be easier to get what he needed when less people were around. The storage only had a few racks of syringes, sedatives for procedures for the stem cell research. Ford could only imagine that the dimensional research was in the lower levels.

 _I hope Magum or Bill doesn't know about this world…_

* * *

When night fell, there of course was security, but nothing that he couldn't avoid.

Ford's time with the Layla he had been with and wandering in the multiverse has helped him learn to train his stealth. He saw the bigger picture, him seeing the more logical side of everything. It paid off being stealthy instead of just jumping in.

Sneaking in the darkness of the facility wasn't easy, there was so much security that he literally had to hide every few seconds. A few times he almost got caught, which made his heart pound so loud that he was sure the guards could hear it. The entrance to the lower levels of the facility required a keycard, a card that he managed to pickpocket from a higher level guard.

The elevator down was so loud and clang-y that Ford for sure thought he was going to be caught. The doors opened, and in his face was a barrel of a gun. On the other side of the gun, was Dr. Bartek.

"Hello, there," Dr. Bartek lowly greeted. "What brings you outside of your rightful dimension, Dr. Stanford Pines?"

Ford's eyes widened as he lowered his scarf. "How… how the hell do you know that…!?" Ford gasps.

Dr. Bartek does a sinister smile. "Well… I may be a doctor in stem cell research, but I do know a thing or two about dimensional travel."

"Are you working for Magum or Bill Cipher!?" Ford then demands, not wavering from the gun in his face.

Dr. Bartek raises a silver brow in confusion. "What are you talking about?" he asks, clearly intrigued.

"Nothing," Ford assures. "It doesn't matter, what I need is technology that can rip apart and scatter a demon's energy makeup."

"Destroying a demon…" Dr. Bartek laughs. "My… the dimension you have come from must be in tough shit."

Ford glances away. "Yes… I suppose so…" he whispers. "So… will you help me?"

Dr, Bartek gives a sadistic smile. "No." he laughs as he goes to pull the trigger.

Ford's reflexes kick in as he ducks down and trips Dr. Bartek. Dr. Bartek drops the gun, but before he could make a grab for it Ford had kicked it away and pointed his interdimensional gun at the man's head.

"I think I won't ask nicely next time," Ford growled. "So, I'm demanding… you will supply me some of the components I need to make my Quantum Destabilizer."

Dr. Bartek laughs, "My, I think I like this version of you, Stanford. The one here is so arrogant…"

"I've learned from my mistakes…" Ford states.

Dr. Bartek slowly gets up, his hands up in the air as he lead Ford down the hallway. Once in the main lab, Bartek goes into a computer system and something unlocks. The sound of air hissing fills the room as a drawer opened.

"I can't give you much…" Dr. Bartek told Ford. "But, for something to rip energy apart you'd need an unstable isotope." He puts on special gloves and retrieved an instrument that looked similar to tongs. He proceeds to then pick up what looked like a crystalized blue gem, it radiating with energy.

"Unstable Isotope?" Ford repeated in awe, staring that the blue energy source.

"Yes… this was discovered about a year ago…" Dr. Bartek explained. "It has what Fiddleford McGucket calculated to be a thirty-year half-life until it can become stable. So far… it only has twenty-nine more to go." He then lowered the isotope into a special box and shut it.

Ford looks at the box that the crystal was in, his gun still aimed at Dr. Bartek. "What… can it do?" Ford hesitantly asked.

Dr. Bartek gives a sinister smile. "Why… it can rip an entire dimension apart… so this is more than enough to destroy your demon, however, you'd only have one shot." he jeered. "We had one of these where I was from… but of course I destroyed my world and find myself in this dimension."

"What about Layla?" Ford then demanded, putting the gun to his temple.

Bartek looked confused. "How… do you know of her?"

"Let's just say from where I'm from we've had some history."

"Layla in this dimension is from this dimension, a pathetic little girl honestly. If I could've killed her like I killed my version here I would've, but I had to keep up appearances."

Ford narrows his eyes dangerously. "You're just as evil as the Dr. Bartek I dealt with… and do you know what happened to him?" Dr. Bartek shook his head. "Layla shot him in the head, just like I'm about to."

"Shoot-!?" was the last thing Dr. Bartek managed to say as a plasma blast went through his skull. The man collapsed to the floor as blood began to pool beneath him.

An alarm began to blare overhead, but Ford had to push the noise away. He grabs the box and stuffs it into his trench coat. Now that the energy source was found, he just had to build the actual gun, which would not be hard in the least, now there was no need to go into the facility that Magum had.

"One year down, twenty-nine to go."

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello everyone! Thanks for being patient with the updates! I know it is not as active as "Cipher's Reign" was, but with school and work I cannot help it.

Also, check out my DeviantArt, SkyeHendersen, where I have been posting artwork on the series. There is now a picture of Cipher's Reign Mabel, After Cipher's Reign George, Orion, and now even a picture of Layla.

Thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	33. Unexpected Surprises

**Chapter 33: Unexpected Surprises**

Stan runs a hand through his graying hair on an early June morning, stressed once again on how the portal wasn't opening, dark circles under his eyes on lack of sleep.

He had tried all that he could, he could practically tell anyone the engineering behind the damn thing. Stan had read so many books and self-taught himself things he could never truly understand to the point where he could recite half the book without thinking about it. He knew the mathematical calculations so precisely that he could write it out and explain it on why those were the numbers.

With a sigh he slumped into the chair at the desk, glaring at the portal from behind the safety glass.

Eighteen years.

 _Stanley…! Stanley help me!_

 _Oh, no, what do I do!?_

Eighteen years and there was still no results.

Those words haunt Stan's nightmares nearly every night. The look on Stanford's face as he was being pulled into the portal flashed through Stan's subconscious…

With a grunt Stan pushed himself out of the rickety chair and headed to the elevator to go back upstairs. After all, he had a business to keep up to pay the bills. It had been eighteen years and during that time the Mystery Shack had been extremely profitable, he was able to pay off Stanford's mortgage on the house about a decade ahead of schedule.

Sometimes Stan wished that his father could've seen the business, maybe for once his father would say that he was impressed or even proud that Stan had made a profitable business. Stan then scoffs to himself, thinking that it would not be the case.

 _He'd just call me a liar and a hustler… I am lying to these people… and he'd say I'm still using Stanford since this is his house…_ he thought bitterly.

As he exited the elevator he heard the phone ringing. Stan checks his watch to see that it was eight in the morning, so he knew it wasn't his mother on the east coast trying to check up on "Stanford". Stan goes to the phone and swiftly picks it up to answer.

"Hello, Mystery Shack, Mr. Mystery speaking," Stan gruffly greeted.

 _"_ _Uncle Stan?"_ a male voice asked on the other side of the line.

It took a moment for Stan to recognize the voice. Christopher, Shermie's son. Stan hadn't spoken to Christopher in the past year since the young man's recent wedding about less than a year ago. Stan was very grateful that there was an open bar to drown his guilt for not spending time on the portal…

"Oh, hey, Chris," Stan smiles into the phone. "How's it hanging?" Stan rarely had saw the kid growing up, only on a few occasions. Shermie was the older brother that was about ten years older than himself and Stanford, and even after Stanford was gone Shermie couldn't even tell the difference between the two, he had kept forgetting as he grew older and went on into the computer business which twin was the genius and which was the failure.

 _"_ _Oh, everything is okay… ish…"_ Christopher nervously said. The kid had always had anxiety… must run in the family since Stanford had it too…

"What do you mean 'ish'?" Stan asked gently.

 _"_ _Well… Katherine and I are just trying to get some family to California…"_ the nervous man said.

"For…?" Stan prodded.

 _"_ _I don't think Dad told you, he rarely talks to you or even Grandma, but Katherine and I are expecting and we wanted to invite family members to meet the baby."_ Christopher finally explained. Stan could practically hear the shaking from the young man's hands.

Stan then gives another smile. "Oh, really? You two kids are having your own kid? Seems a little soon, doncha think?" Stan joked slyly. "Had a little _too_ much fun on your wedding night, Chris?"

There was a groan on the other line. _"God damn it, Uncle Stan… that is just awkward…!"_ Christopher's voice screeched on the other side of the line, causing Stan to chuckle to himself. There was then a sigh, _"But in all seriousness, Uncle Stan, Katherine wanted to invite you and a few other family members to witness the birth."_

Stan grimaced to himself. Watching a live birth definitely wasn't on his bucket list. But… they _were_ family, and Christopher was the only one to actually invite him to any family functions.

"You know what, yeah I'll be there, when's she due?" Stan agreed.

 _"_ _Mid-August, we wanted to give everyone a heads-up so they can plan accordingly."_ Christopher explained. _"Especially you, Uncle Stan, I know you run a business and it is about an eight hour drive to Piedmont."_

Stan understood where his nephew was coming from. "Alright, just let me know if something come up, okay?" he tells his nephew.

 _"_ _Will do, Uncle Stan,"_ Christopher replies happily. _"Katherine is going to be excited, she's been saying on how she wanted to see you again, she thinks you're a very mysterious person."_

"That's why I'm called 'Mr. Mystery', kid!" Stan laughs.

 _"_ _Talk to you later, Uncle Stan."_

* * *

Two months passed since the phone conversation with his nephew, and he was giving a tour when the phone rang.

Normally he would be angry that his tour got interrupted, but he told himself it could be Christopher with news on the new member of the Pines family. Stan tells his tourists that he would be make momentarily, saying that it could be news on his family, which they completely understood.

Stan gets to the phone by the fourth ring, him promptly answering his normally way.

 _"_ _Uncle Stan, it's Christopher,"_ Christopher greets on the phone, his voice wavering nervously.

Stan didn't like that tone. "Hey, Chris, everything okay?" he asks gently.

 _"_ _Well… they think they have to induce labor if she doesn't go into it by the twenty-eighth, so they'd probably do it on the thirtieth,"_ the young man shakily said.

"Induce…?" Stan wasn't familiar with that medical term. In all honesty he hasn't really been to the doctor at all since arriving in Gravity Falls, he thought the doctors were a little… odd. "Is that bad or…?"

 _"_ _It's I guess common for a first pregnancy,"_ Christopher tried to explain. _"I'm worried though… they gave Katherine a lot of stress tests and ultrasounds… there was an unexpected surprise but we are happy everything is okay…"_ the young man kept on rambling and rambling, trying to get every detail in one sentence.

 _Man, he's really nervous…_ Stan thought anxiously.

"Look, Chris, if you said everything is going good there is no need to worry," Stan assures, interrupting the never-ending sentence. "How about I come out there a little early, hm? That way I definitely won't miss it."

There was a stunned silence on the other end. _"R-really, Uncle Stan?_ Christopher asked in shock. _"But… wouldn't that affect your business-?"_

"Trust me, everything is fine here," Stan grouchily tells his nephew. "Don't worry about me, worry about your wife and kid. I'll probably be there…" Stan trails off as he looked at the calendar, seeing that it was already the twenty-fifth, "… by the twenty-ninth. If she goes into labor by then, hey at least I'll be on my way to meet the new Pines."

There was a sigh of relief on the other side of the line. _"Okay, Uncle Stan, see you then…"_

Once Stan hung up the phone he continued his tours. At the end of the tour he sold a lot of extra merchandise after someone asked who was on the phone. He had explained it was his nephew and that he and his wife were expecting and were letting him know what was going on. The tourists thought it was adorable that he was concerned about his family, so they bought extra things so he could buy something for the new baby.

 _Oh shit… I didn't think about getting a baby gift..._ The conman thought frantically.

After he had closed up shop he went into town to see if he could find a gift for the new gremlin joining the family. He stopped by a small store and asked what their opinion was, the young woman behind the register being very helpful.

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" she asked nicely.

"Well… I actually don't… he didn't mention it…" Stan admitted. He tried to think back on Christopher's rambling, but he only remembered that there was an unexpected surprise. Maybe they had wanted it to be a surprised on the gender but was told by the doctor during the recent visits. "You know what, I'll just get something for a boy and a girl." Stan finally decided.

He ended up getting two stuffed bears with matching baby blankets as they were on sale. The "twin" package the girl behind the counter had said, which made Stan laugh. One bear was a dark brown with a blue bow wrapped around its neck, it having a folded, soft blue blanket in its lap. The second bear was a tan one, a pink bow around its head like a headband, the bow going over the left ear; like its twin it had a blanket in its lap but pink in color.

As he had drove home he couldn't help but think on how Stanford would be reacting to meeting a new member of the family. Would he have been excited or would he had just brushed it off like he had done with everything else? Stan frowns at himself, thinking that he should've been working on the portal, but he had gotten sidetracked with Christopher's news.

Once he was back in the Shack Stan put the bears in a specially decorated bag that read "Congratulations" in pink and blue bubble letters. He had even gotten a card and put some money in it to go toward diapers or whatever else the new baby needed.

"Good thing those tourists bought extra stuff so I can get this…" Stan murmured to himself.

Despite having a decent business and making decent money, he found himself being an extreme money pincher. He spent little money on food that he possibly could, the only money he truly spent being on bills. Stan even used one of Stanford secret compartments in the living room to hide money in just in case. Making a fortune… on his own…

The middle-aged man shook his head to clear away the thoughts. Right now he should be considering what to pack for his trip to California. Stan walked into his room and looked at the map he had of the country, small black X's on various states. Oregon wasn't Xed out and neither was California.

"Welp, at least I won't get arrested," Stan chuckled. "That'd be an interesting story to tell…"

* * *

Stan arrived to the decent sized house in Piedmont, California, it being yellow with a wraparound porch.

Stan had honestly forgotten what Christopher did at his job. He knew his nephew worked with computers, just like Shermie did after he had served in the military, but he wasn't one-hundred percent sure on what he did though.

He knocked on the door and waited patiently as the door suddenly opened. The person who answered was Katherine, her dark blonde hair tied up in a ponytail and her soft green eyes lighting up with excitement. She then proceeded to give Stan a large hug, although it was extremely awkward because of her large, swollen belly. The woman looked as though she was going to pop…

"Uncle Stan, you're finally here!" Katherine cheered.

"Um… yeah…" Stan awkwardly replied. He picked up the bag that had the baby gifts in it, him dropping it because of his niece's sudden embrace.

"Kat," Stan then heard Christopher say. The dark brown haired man then appeared behind Katherine, his brown beard neatly trimmed. "You shouldn't be moving around so fast…" he added nervously.

She rolls her eyes. "Oh, pish-posh, dear, I was just greeting Uncle Stan!" she grumbled, folding her arms across her chest.

Christopher then noticed his uncle. "Oh, hello, Uncle Stan, please come in." he greeted as he stepped aside with his wife.

Stan enters the home and gives a low whistle. "Wow, nice place you two got," Stan complimented. The home was very decently furnished, the carpet nice and fresh. Stan was so used to the Shack in the middle of the woods he almost forgotten what a nice home looked like.

"Thanks, Uncle Stan," Katherine replied. "There was a clearance sale."

Stan couldn't help but smile as he thought, _Chris got a keeper._

"What's in the bag?" his nephew asked as he helped his wife settle onto the couch.

Stan then hands the bag to Katherine. "I got something for the kid, I didn't know if you two were having a boy or a girl, so I just got one for each," he explained as he saw his niece's eye light up as she pulled out the two bears.

"Oh, these are adorable!" Katherine cried out, a huge smile on her face. She then glares at her husband. "You didn't tell him?" she lowly says, causing Christopher to flinch.

"It might have slipped my mind…" Christopher admits as he puts a hand behind his head to nervously scratch, his brown eyes darting around anxiously.

Katherine then sets the bears on the side of the couch and gets up, although clumsily because of her large stomach. She proceeds to the kitchen then comes out with a picture and hands it to Stan.

"Um…" Stan confusedly says. "I don't know what I'm looking at here…"

Katherine then points at the picture. "This is your great-niece," she said as she pointed to the left side of the ultrasound picture. Her finger then moved to the other side. "And this is your great-nephew."

"T-twins?" Stan sputtered.

Katherine nodded excitedly. "Yep! I heard it runs in the family…" her voice went soft on the last part.

"Yeah… it does…" Stan agreed, his tone equal to hers. He then looks at Christopher. "So that was the 'unexpected' surprise?"

Christopher nodded. "Yeah… I must've forgotten to tell you on the phone…" he told his uncle.

Stan waved it off. "Eh, whatever, you're just nervous, it's fine. You're a first time dad, having things slip your mind was bound to happen." He then looks at the ultrasound again. "Did you two think of names?" he then asked.

"Yeah," Christopher replied. "Mabel for the girl-"

"And Mason for the boy." Katherine finished.

Stan gives a nod, "Heh, good names, good names…" he murmurs, mainly to himself.

"Dad should be here in the morning so we can go to the hospital so Kat can get induced," Christopher then says to Stan. "I think the last time you talked to Dad was at the wedding reception."

"Doing shot competitions." Katherine laughed as her husband rolled his eyes. "That was funny…"

"I won though," Stan smugly said. "I'm good with my alcohol."

After another few minutes of conversation Christopher then showed Stan to a small roll-bed they had purchased for guests. The young brunette explained that they didn't have a guest room, just the nursery and his office were the only possible extra rooms.

So Stan had to sleep in the office, and as they walked in the hallway he noticed the nursery. He noticed that the walls were a light pink and the carpet was a purple. It mainly looked very girly as there was crib and changing table that was mainly white with flowers decorated on it. The second half of the room looked very recently thrown together, a dark brown crib with a blue blanket thrown over the side and a small poster of a train.

"So… you two knew about the girl, huh?" Stan asked Christopher as they entered the young man's office.

"Yeah… we are overly prepared for her…" Christopher guiltily said. "I haven't had much time to get stuff for the boy… apparently its common with twins for one to hide behind the other in the ultrasounds. We literally didn't know about him until the last time I talked to you on the phone." He then set up the roll-bed. "I'm gonna get more stuff for him… I just feel bad that I didn't know he even existed until a week ago…"

Stan puts a firm hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Look, you're trying, and that's what matters. At least you're feeling something… that makes you a good dad already." Stan knew from experience what it was like being the unplanned one. The only difference though was that this kid was already going to a have a better time than Stan ever had.

Christopher gives a smile. "Thanks, Uncle Stan, that helps," the young man said. "Dad… was angry with me… I mean, he's always been mad at me this entire time."

"Why…?" Stan asked, curious.

"Well… Dad is a lot like Grandpa…"

"UGH…" Stan then groaned.

Christopher chuckles, "Yeah, agreed. He just thought that I married Kat too soon, and literally not being married for two months we find out we're having a baby, and now we find out we're having two. He just thought I was irresponsible and that I can't afford or handle this…"

Stan rolls his eyes. "Look, screw what Shermie said to you, Chris. You're doing the best you can, that's all anyone can do. Trust me, your grandpa didn't know about me being a twin and you remember that pawn shop… life wasn't easy then, but despite against all odds we had food on the table, clothes on our backs, a roof over our heads… you're going to be fine."

"Thank you…" Christopher tearfully said. "That really means a lot…"

Stan then leans in towards his nephew's ear. "And, just between you and me," he then goes into his wallet and pulls out a couple hundred dollar bills. "Here, something for you to get stuff for the boy."

Christopher's eyes widened. "Oh, no, I possibly can't accept that, Uncle Stan…" he cried out, him raising his hands in defense. "I can't…"

Stan rolls his eyes. "Fine. It's my gift to your son, now take it," he states as he hands his nephew the money. "Now, you got a busy day ahead of ya tomorrow, go get some rest with your wife, I'll settle myself in."

Christopher then puts the money in a lockbox that was on his computer desk. "Thank you…" he says again as he goes to leave the room. "Good night, Uncle Stan."

"Good night."

* * *

The next morning Shermie arrived with his wife, Claudia, and Stan greeted his brother and sister-in-law politely.

Shermie looked practically identical to their father, it was jarring to Stan to say the least. What was interesting as well was that Shermie also had their father's name as their middle name, just like Stanford. But not Stan, he was unplanned, he got the generic similar name to his twin and just a random middle name to be picked out of a hat.

"I just got a call from my parents," Katherine announced as she entered the foyer of the home, receiving a hug from Claudia. "It looks like there flight was delayed last night and couldn't make it…" she looked as though she was going to cry.

"They're coming still, right?" Christopher asked, trying to comfort his wife.

"Yeah… they'll be here by tomorrow hopefully," Katherine sniffled.

The family ended up taking separate cars, Stan having to go with Shermie because the backseat of the soon-to-be-parents' car had the car-seats for the babies. The drive to Piedmont hospital was short and silent, and once there the paperwork was filled out for Katherine to be put into a room.

Stan sat in a chair furthest from everyone else, not really wanting to be a bother. After all, the new twins were Shermie's and Claudia's grandchildren. He looked away when they gave Katherine the medication to induce her labor, and soon the monitors were showing her small contractions.

Stan had never really dealt with babies, the only baby he had ever visited in the hospital was when Christopher was born. He could tell Katherine was excited as she kept getting out of bed and was showing her in-laws the most recent ultrasound picture of their grandchildren. She kept doing small laps around the room, thinking it would help speed up her process.

The woman was in labor for _hours_ , midnight rolling around to make it the thirty-first of August. Stan was ready to fall asleep in his seat when he heard Katherine yelp in pain. He sat up immediately as Christopher forced his wife to settle back into the bed, the monitors beeping loudly. A doctor entered the room and assessed Katherine, stating that she was ready for delivery.

"Now, I understand that you want to family to witness the birth?" the doctor recited from a filled out request form.

"Yes," Katherine replied, her face covered in sweat, but she was still calm.

The doctor nods. "Alright then, we do have a special delivery room where family members can look through a window as they all can't be in the room," the doctor explains. He then gestures to a nurse that was just walking in. "Linda will escort them there while we get you into the delivery room, Mrs. Pines."

Stan felt like he was cattle as he, Shermie and Claudia were ushered out of the room by the nurse. They were led to a special area where they could see into the delivery room. Stan started fidgeting nervously and despite the good situation about to happen his mind kept going back to the portal and how he should be getting to continue working on it…

"Stan, you look very nervous," Claudia chided him. "I don't know what you're so worried about."

Stan jumped from the suddenness of her voice. "Um, sorry, just never witnessed a birth before, I'm just worried is all…" he says weakly.

Katherine was then wheeled into the room and was being settled into the bed. The doctors and nurses were dressed in scrubs and covered with aprons and had masks over their mouths. Even Christopher was forced to wear the attire, including putting the typical green hair cap over his curled, dark brown hair.

The process was going underway, and a few times Stan looked away because of seeing the amount of blood and fluids. He knew human birth was supposed to be a "beautiful" process, but nothing was "beautiful" of something that looked alien covered in questionable fluids coming out of a woman. After a few minutes, a small baby was produced, dark hair matted to its head as it cried loudly.

A nurse stopped outside the room to tell the watchers. "It's a girl," she said with a smile.

Stan looked back through the window just in time for baby Mabel to sock the doctor in the jaw. Claudia gasped loudly as Stan began laughing, seeing the doctor hand the baby to someone else for the usual tests as he took off a rubber glove and rubbed his jawline. Stan was still laughing, ignoring the glares from his brother and Claudia.

After about five minutes another baby was produced, although something didn't look right, even to Stan. The cord was wrapped around the neck of the baby, his face completely blue. The doctor tried to stay calm and it looked like a couple of nurses went to assist on removing the cord from the infant's neck.

At this point baby Mabel was in a small container next to the bed, wrapped in a pink blanket that Stan recognized as the one he had gotten back in Gravity Falls with the bear. However, Christopher and Katherine couldn't enjoy seeing their baby girl as the boy was rushed out of the room to be tested for complications.

Katherine began crying, the first sign of distress Stan noticed during the whole procedure. Stan felt his heart tighten, the woman looked so broken, just finding out less than a week prior that they were having a boy as well and now he had been rushed away. Stan also felt a pang of sadness for the baby girl… Mabel.

Her twin was not beside her, and it seemed like she noticed. The little baby screamed and cried and no matter what anyone tried to do the baby refused to be soothed. After what seemed like hours the baby boy was rushed back into the room, he as well wrapped in the blue blanket that Stan had bought. The baby boy was placed in the same container as the girl and immediately the crying stopped.

Katherine after a few minutes was given her twins, the biggest smile Stan had ever seen on anyone on her face. She was then transferred back into her room where the family could finally visit the new additions to the Pines family. Claudia was fussing over the girl since she was the expected one, but gave a few little pokes to the baby boy's nose.

Christopher began explaining about the test results they got on baby Mason. He said that the doctors have no idea how long the cord had been suffocating the boy, and with the tests they noticed that oxygen levels and the heartrate was low. After the tests and getting out of distress baby Mason's oxygen levels normalized and so did his heartrate.

"Doctors think that it may affect his development…" Christopher finished. "We're just happy that he is alive with his sister."

Shermie scoffed, him finally having a chance to hold his grandchildren. "Well, maybe if you two went to the doctor more you two could've found out about this to prevent it," the old man muttered.

"Dad," Christopher sternly said. "We went to all the doctor appointments, they even said they did not see a second baby, we literally just found out about him last week, how the hell are we supposed to 'prevent' something that is beyond our control!?"

"Don't get snippy with me, young man, you're just barely out of the nest and you're barely ready for this-" Shermie then said but was interrupted by Stan.

"The kid is fine, leave him alone Shermie," Stan lowly said. "Let the man and his wife enjoy the birth of their children before you criticize like Dad did with everything."

Shermie sighs, "You're right… you're right…" He then hands the babies back to Katherine, whom held onto them tightly.

"Uncle Stan," Katherine called out. "Would you like to hold them?"

Stan looked astonished. "M-me?" he stammered.

"Yeah, Uncle Stan," Christopher laughed.

Stan sat in a large chair as Christopher handed each baby to Stan. Stan cradled the twins in each arm, their tiny bodies resting on his thighs as their small heads rested on his forearms. Baby Mabel had rosy pink cheeks, and her eyes were such a dark blue, almost like the void of space, a sure sign that her eyes will turn brown. Baby Mason had the same rosy pink color on his nose, his eyes the same dark blue. Both twins had a tuft of brown hair on their heads that felt soft to the touch. Stan then noticed something that was peeking through the boy's hair…

Gently, using the hand that was attached to the arm that the baby boy's head rested on he moved the tuft of hair. Stan couldn't help but grin to himself, something he immediately recognized after years of stargazing with Stanford on the roof of the pawn shop back in New Jersey.

The Big Dipper.

"This kid is gonna be just fine," Stan finally said as the others looked at the strange birthmark.

"Is that… the Big Dipper?" Christopher asked in awe. "That's quite interesting…"

"He's gonna get made fun of for that," Claudia pointed out.

Stan shook his head in disagreement. "That may be, but he's got his twin sister," he told them. "Twins stick together… and trust me, a little oddity like this runs in the family."

"Can I hold my grandkids now?" Shermie demanded, wanting to hold them again. "You're hogging them."

"Am not!" Stan sternly replied, feeling himself holding the twins closer. He then looks down on their small faces, their eyes wide seeing the new world.

 _Chin up kids, you'll always have each other… please don't make the same mistakes my twin and I had made…_

He gives them a final small hug as he gives them back to their parents, who were smiling and overjoyed to see how the Pines family grew two more members.

* * *

 **A/N:** AND DONE WITH THIS CHAPTER! I have been literally writing it all day while taking a break from my schoolwork. I believe this is the longest chapter I have written...

So we had a first glimpse about Stan seeing the twins born back in the 3DS game, "Legend of the Gnome Gemulets" and then I wrote a short story about him elaborating on the story in "After Cipher's Reign: Short Stories".

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

Check out my DeviantArt, SkyeHendersen, to see the artwork I have been posting about my series of these fanfictions!

Thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	34. Endurance

**Chapter 34: Endurance**

Ford lowered his interdimensional gun as he had just finished blasting a bullet of plasma through a head of interdimensional being that was trying to mug him of his pitiful possessions.

A thick puddle of purple blood collected beneath the body, it twitching. Ford gives a sigh of annoyance as he puts the gun back in his holster. For over a decade he had endure this kind of behavior, the multiple beings thinking he was weak prey to be easy pickings.

 _Not anymore…_ Ford thought bitterly. _I am not the same person weak child that had his brother fight all his battles._

Ford looked at his black, gloved hand that only a few moments ago had the gun. He grips his hand tightly into a fist. With his other hand he adjusts putting the goggles over his cracked glasses and continued on, feeling the weight of the unstable isotope in his inner pocket. Strapped across his back was the beginning of the weapon he was building, him taking whatever parts he needed from countless dimensions.

With a final look at the citizen of this dimension that he had killed, he turns and walks away.

Over the past seventeen years since acquiring the isotope he had deciphered more and more of Magum's journal. Most entries were quite disturbing, saying how his home dimension was destroyed. A few entries included about this mysterious Axolotl, which still confused Ford to no end. How is a simple salamander some kind of deity in this part of the multiverse?

But what really disturbed Ford was the more recent, or more like from the past thirty years. They were entries regarding Layla. The journal had described that Magum had knew who she was and that she was the daughter of Dr. Bartek, a man that had interested Magum to make a deal. He had planned to use her to get to Dr. Bartek, like a bargaining chip, but when he had found out that Bartek had truly not cared for his daughter, Magum just kept her as some sort of prize as she was the only female human in that part of the multiverse.

Ford had to slam the book closed on more than one occasion because of some of the more graphic entries. No wonder why Layla had hated him so much, he had used her and abused her time and time again. Reading those entries was honestly sickening to him.

During his years alone he had grew much harder in his personality. He felt as if he didn't want to get close to anyone ever again, or grow to trust anyone. In the end his heart and trust will be ripped out. There was honestly no point.

On more than one occasion he did think of his twin brother, wondering how he was doing. From what he had gathered when he had to research where his twin was so he could send the postcard Stanley was not the best at staying in one place… Stanley also had trouble with gangs, owing money and such…

Ford sighs to himself. He was so used to being alone at this point, but thinking of his brother and Layla made his chest terribly ache. It has even come to the point that he would think about his childhood more and more, thinking of the small moments he had shared with his twin with their little secret codes they did together. Or he would remember their mother taking them to their grandparents house and makes cookies with their grandmother. He would think back to Hanukkah and how their father would light the Menorah and how Stanley would make faces at Ford while wearing Groucho glasses during services…

But those were just memories, memories that will stay with him He would probably never experience something along those lines again. Ford had never even thought twice about a relationship until he had met Layla, he would never experience something like that ever again… he didn't want to go through the heartache.

As Ford walked down the street of the dimension he was in, he could feel the cold stares on him. Ford ignored them, just like he has been doing all these years, he rather not have a confrontation. But of course… there was always that one person, and they end up getting hurt or killed because they just couldn't let Ford be.

A hand suddenly covers his mouth and he was dragged into an alleyway, his heart racing. Ford didn't struggle, he let himself be dragged away until he felt being pushed inside a building. He hits the dirty concrete with a grunt, his body finally starting to catch up on his age. The door slams shut and a flicker of light only slightly illuminates the room. There was a circle of strange creatures around him, something that he could barely identify. But one thing caught his eye: An old wanted poster of him.

"Oh, so you guys are looking to be getting Cipher's reward, huh?" Ford laughed with a sarcastic grin. He fluently spoke some alien language, and it seemed that they understood what he was saying. "Whatever Cipher is selling you, it's nothing but a trick and lie. He isn't going to help you. He's going to use you and throw you away like he does with everyone. You should just leave me alone." Ford then yelps painfully as a hard kick went into his ribcage.

"Search him," a large, burly monster demanded, its voice so deep it felt as if the building was rumbling.

Ford felt hands, claws, and tentacles grab at him. He felt his gun be stripped off his back, his trench coat nearly ripped from him, and the goggle yanked off his face. Ford watched as they went through his coat and threw the picture that Ford had of him and Stanley on the broken boat onto the dirty floor. The case with the infinity die was carelessly and precariously thrown onto the floor as well. Ford felt his gun be taken away, which annoyed him to no end, but what finally set him off was when something went after the scarf he had around his neck.

He threw his head into the face of the monster that was about to yank that off of him, feeling a sickening crunch as his head sunk in slightly. Ford jumps up and ended up punching the monster with a hard left hook. Those years of boxing were paid off long ago, and they were saving Ford's ass yet again. When his own gun was being aimed at him he had ducked down as the trigger was pulled, the plasma blast hitting another attacker that was behind him in the chest. Ford sprang back up and punched the being that had his gun in what he could guess was some sort of jawline, and during that distraction grabbed his gun.

Ford hits a button that he had added to the gun and it whirred with an electric energy. It buzzed and glowed a brilliant and almost blinding blue. Ford aims it without a second thought and shoots at one being, the electric bolt causing the body to spasm. But that's not all it did, within a few feet radius the electricity jumped from attacker to attacker, causing the same spasms. Ford then hits the button again and the electricity grew more intense.

"I told you to leave me alone," Ford lowly growled, the electricity form his gun whirring loudly. The intense blue light cast a shadow on his face, making him seem almost devilish. It oddly reminded him of something…

As he went to pull the trigger he felt his legs be swept up from beneath him. The being that had been hit in the chest with the plasma blast had knocked him over. The monster got on top of him and held his arms down to the point where the hand that was holding the gun was going limp from lack of blood circulation. Ford tried to kick at his attacker, but it seemed like its skin was some sort of shell, an armor, and he couldn't find a weak point.

Something began burning his arms intensely, a feeling that was like his skin was melting off. A heat was radiating from his attacker hands, and that was what made Ford drop the gun and began screaming in pain. He tried kicking harder and harder, but the more he kicked the more it burned. He finally stops kicking, but he felt his foot nudge something. Carefully he strained his head to see what he was touching.

The box that held the infinity die.

 _I have no choice…_

With a final effort Ford kicked the box as hard as he could. He saw the box hit a nearby wall, it busting open. The die bounced out and it rolled back towards him. Ford's heart pounded painfully as it rolled to a stop near his head. The image it landed on was clear as crystal…

Water.

Immediately the room began flooding with water, startling his attacker. Ford managed to get away from its grip and made a grab for his gun and his other fallen items before the water could get to them. The monsters began screeching as the water began to rise, Ford climbing whatever crates he saw to get to the rafters about. The attackers were trying to follow suit, but because of their bug, bulky sizes it was hard to do so, and it also appeared that they weren't good swimmers.

Ford glances around and saw that there was a skylight that led to the roof, an escape option. He then aims the gun to the rising water, the monsters desperately trying to find a way out.

"I'll give you a way out…" Ford muttered darkly as he set up the electricity blast once again. Without a second thought he pulled the trigger and the electricity went through the conduciveness of the water instantly. He saw oddly colored blood stain the water and the electricity ripped their shells open, a burning smell hitting Ford's nostrils. The screeches were almost unbearable, but Ford didn't care.

The water was still rising, and that was when Ford made his escape through the skylight. As he ran across the roof he saw the water beginning to spill over the opening he had climbed out of. He stuffs his contents into this trench coat pockets and puts his half-made weapon across his back as he kept his interdimensional pistol in hand as he sprinted across the room. A familiar shimmer caught his eye as he picked up speed.

He jumps off the roof, him going straight into the shimmer and the world shifted. He lands on a roof of another place, him rolling from the momentum. Slowly, Ford stands up to catch his breath, him holstering his gun.

With a sigh of relief he sits down and checks over his things. His pictures weren't damaged in the slightest, and neither was the books he had. The box that had the isotope in it was as safe as it could be. Ford then found the infinity die that he had precariously tossed into a pocket and its case. He puts the die in its case and gently puts it back in his coat.

"That… was a lucky break…" Ford sighed breathlessly. There was a lot of things he had endured during his years of traveling, but this was the first time he had to use the die. "Never doing that again… that was too risky…" He was not much of a gambler, and he wasn't going to push his luck a second time.

Ford then looks around him, peering over the side of the building. Oddly enough it felt as if he had been here before. Then it hit him.

He was back in Dimension 52.

A sudden pang of depression hits Ford's system like the alcohol had done that night he was with Layla. He didn't want to be here, anywhere but here. Ford throws an arm over his eyes to try to make the tears stop flowing to his eyes.

He has endured many things… he had been stabbed, shot at, punched and kicked, and of course burned, but he survived it, he moved on. But the one thing he could not get pass was a broken heart.

"Thirteen more years… just thirteen more years and I'll kill those bastards."

* * *

 **A/N:** This chapter basically takes place during the last chapter. So this is in August of 1999.

Thank you for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~


	35. Beyond the Portal

**Chapter 35: Beyond the Portal**

The summer was going by quickly surprisingly, he couldn't tell if it was because he was didn't really care about time anymore or that he was actually enjoying his great-niece and nephew's company.

It had been thirty years since working on trying to open back the portal to get Stanford back. He had finally gotten his hands on the second journal, which to his surprise the little gremlin Gideon Gleeful had. And what was another surprise was that his great-nephew Dipper had Journal 3 and was using it to on crazy adventures, which included raising the dead.

Stan Pines was now a much older man in his sixties, him at the beginning of the summer agreeing to watch the younger twins for the summer. Christopher had told him that it suggested by their school for Mabel to run off her excess energy and to help with Dipper's terrible anxiety. Stan had to ask why his great-nephew Mason was being called "Dipper" and Christopher explained that it was a nickname from his birthmark that he been going by since he was five years old.

That morning though… that morning he had an odd feeling something was going to happen.

With the information from the other two journals Stan finally had the ability to open the portal. The moment he activated it he never thought it would ever happen, he watched in awe as the portal glowed a brilliant blue light, just like thirty years ago, as the symbols around glowed.

That morning he had caught the young twins going into the closet to try to play with his illegal fireworks that he had stolen. So, the responsible adult that he was he lit them for them as they practically set the front lawn on fire. To put out the fire he let the twins have a water balloon fight, and of course they would throw a couple at him.

Having them over for the summer was honestly one of the best times he had since he was a child with Stanford. He tried to act like he didn't care about them, to be the stoic man he usually was, to me mean and cold-hearted. However, seeing his great-niece and nephew reminded him so much of him and his own twin… He saw the energetic Mabel and she reminded him so much of himself as child. Seeing Dipper was like seeing Stanford, but more awkward and sweaty. But when he saw Mabel being creative and artistic, it was like seeing Stanford, and seeing Dipper being so protective of his twin and doing anything for her was like seeing himself with Stanford.

Ever since discovering that Dipper had the last journal he needed to complete the activation of the portal, he wanted to tell the younger twins about everything. Who the real Stanford Pines was, and how that there was so much wrong about Stanley Pines that he basically killed his identity off and no one really batted an eye about it. He wanted to tell them that even though he was a professional conman, although he lies so much through his teeth about so many things, he really cared for them. He loved his grandniece and grandnephew like children he never had.

Before he could even gain the courage to ask, he was slammed to the ground by special ops, arresting him. Dragged into the police station in handcuffs once again in his life, he was interrogated by the United States government, stating how they knew he had been running for years and that he a string of various identities he went by over the years. But each moment Stan had been in there, he can only think about the portal.

 _I_ have _to be there when it opens… I_ HAVE _to!_

He had on a watch that had the countdown of the portal opening and also a countdown of when the gravitational anomalies would hit the town. He used the anomalies to his advantage to get out the FBI custody, him paying a taxi to drive the complete opposite way of the Mystery Shack, and him running to the Shack as fast as his old bones could carry him.

Once he made it to the Shack, he was breathless, seeing that the vending machine that led to the basement was wide open. His heart had dropped. There was no way those kids could've figured it out… but then again, they were a lot smarter than many people gave them credit for. He rushed down the stairs and frantically pushed the button that called the elevator.

 _Please… please, let me make it!_

He looks at his watch, seeing that he has almost five minutes until the portal will be fully open. The elevator arrives and Stan rushes inside, once again pressing the button many times for it to go down to the very bottom. Once the elevator hit the bottom floor Stan had ran out before the doors were fully open, him only briefly glancing at the photo of Mabel and Dipper he had on the desk of where he spent countless nights.

"This all stops… now!" Stan heard Dipper's voice as he rushed into the room, seeing the twelve-year old boy with his hand hovering over the red button.

"DON'T TOUCH THAT BUTTON!" Stan screamed as loud as he could, him leaning on the doorway desperately trying to catch his breath. He then slowly walks up to them as he said, "Dipper, just back away." The boy's hand still hovered over the button. "Please don't press that shutdown button, you gotta trust me."

What his grandnephew then shrieks was like a slam to his heart.

"And I should trust you _why!?_ After you stole radioactive waste? After you've lied to us all summer!?" Dipper screamed angrily, the angriest Stan had ever seen on the kid. "I don't even know who you are!"

Stan honestly couldn't blame the kid for what he was saying, they found out about him, it was bound to happen. "Look, I know this all seems nuts, but I need that machine to stay on! If you'd just let me explain-" he gets cut off by the sound of the watch beeping. "Uh-oh, oh, no! Brace yourselves!" he warns.

He, Soos, and the young twins were lifted off of the ground from the anti-gravitational anomalies. Stan had no idea how the rest of the town was handling this, and right now he couldn't focus on it. He started spinning in the air, as the computed stated that in thirty seconds – just thirty more seconds! - the portal would open.

Dipper screamed as he managed to grab something prevent him from flying everywhere. "Dipper!" Mabel's desperate call pierced through the intense and loud whirring of the machine. Her ankle was wrapped in a long cord and she was suspended in the air,

"Mabel!" Dipper screams above the noise. "Hurry! Shut it down!"

Mabel then proceeds to pull herself towards the shutdown button, the red button almost beckoning. Stan sees this and he immediately freaks out, him propelling himself from the wall to get to the button before her.

"No!" he shouts desperately. "Mabel, Mabel, wait, stop!" He was then tackled by Soos, causing him to yelp from the suddenness. The two then spun in the air. "Soos, what're you doing!?" Stan demanded as he tried to push the large man away. "I gave you a direct order!" He then hits him in the head as a desperate form of escape.

Soos then states, "Sorry, Mr. Pines – if that's your real name – but I have a new mission now! Protecting these kids!"

"Soos, you idiot! Let me go!" Stan furiously screams. He then feels another weight slam into him, Dipper's.

"Go!" Dipper shouts toward his twin. "Mabel, press the red button! Shut it down!"

Stan then pushes Dipper away from him, trying to be forceful, but not to hurt the kid. "No, you can't! You gotta trust me!"

"Grunkle Stan…" Mabel's voice tearfully broke out. Stan saw her tears bubble up from the anti-gravity, and it broke his heart to see the little girl cry. "I don't even know… if you're my grunkle!" Her voice then cracks as she adds, "I wanna believe you but-"

"Then listen to me!" Stan begged. "Remember this morning when I said I wanted to tell you guys something?"

 _"_ _T-minus twenty seconds,"_ the computer then states.

Some invisible force throws Stan, Dipper, and Soos to the opposite wall of the room. Stan hooked his arms into the pipes to stabilize himself. He watched as his great-niece hovered her hand over the red button.

"I wanted to say that you're gonna hear some bad things about me, and some of them are true, but trust me," Stan continued. "Everything I've worked for, everything I care about, it's all for this family!"

Dipper shouts, "Mabel, what if he's lying? This thing could destroy the universe! Listen to your head!"

"Look into my eyes Mabel! Do you really think I'm a bad guy?"

"He's lying! Shut it down NOW!"

A last form of begging escapes Stan. "Mabel, please!"

 _"_ _Ten. Nine."_

Mabel avoids eye contact for a moment, but then her gaze sees his. He tried as best as could to have her see in his eyes that he was telling the truth and that she needed to trust him. It was all he had… it was all he could do. It was up to her now…

"Grunkle Stan…" the small girl finally said after a long couple seconds of silence.

 _"_ _Six. Five."_

Mabel then raises her hands. "I trust you…" she states as she started floating upwards.

"MABEL, ARE YOU CRAZY!? WE'RE ALL GONNA-" Dipper's voice was the cut off as the machine whirred and clanged loudly, the blue light flashing as sparks of energy release from it.

 _"_ _One."_

A bright light flashed as the four screamed loudly, and explosion filling their ears. Stan felt himself being slammed into the ground as gravity forced him back to Earth. He groans as he rubs the side of his head. Debris fell from the ceiling, the machine lopsided as it was heavily damaged. Suddenly, a silhouette appeared within the portal, who seemed to be about the same build as Stan, and he had a trench coat flowing behind him with a gun strapped to his back, goggles and scarf covering his face.

The man stepped out of the portal. As he walked across the concrete floor he saw Journal 1 laying on the ground. He places a hand on the cover, a six-fingered hand, and he then slowly picks it up to put in his trench coat. He takes another few steps forward before stopping, seeing the people before him.

Dipper gasps, "What...? Who _is_ that?"

Stan looks up to see the man, immediately knowing who it was. "The author of the journals…" he states.

The man then takes off the goggles and scarf, revealing an extremely similar face to Stan's, his five o'clock shadow thick and scratchy looking, his brown eyes hard.

"My brother."

* * *

"After all these years…"

Ford was putting the final touches on his Quantum Destabilizer. The isotope was ready, being perfectly stable. He had only one shot though. As much has he would love to use it on Magum, Ford hasn't seen of or even heard of him in the past twenty-nine years… and Bill was haunting his dreams more frequently.

In one dream that he came to Ford recently Bill was stating how he possessed a twelve-year-old boy. It made Ford sick to his stomach to hear that a demon possessed a child. Bill then stated that once he was done with the body that he was just going to fling it off the highest point in the town to make it look like suicide, just to have the kid's spirit in the mindscape forever.

 _He's getting stronger… and a lot closer to getting into Earth's dimension. I have to use this on him… I'm sorry Layla, I can't kill Magum right now… One day I will…_

Ford had to go to shady parts of dimensions to get information on Bill Cipher that he needed. He had to find him, but he honestly didn't know where to look. A few beings in random bars and hotspots wouldn't tell Ford anything. At least until he had threatened with his gun and they blurted out "Nightmare Dimension".

"Nightmare dimension…?" Ford questioned to himself as he exited the premises. Ford then consults Magum's journal, maybe some information about it was there. He was practically an expert at deciphering the pages, he no longer needed to write out the symbols then each corresponding letter and so on.

 _"'_ _The Nightmare Dimension. That's what they call the ruins of the dimension that had held the Hierarchy of Demons. Now it is filled with terrible monsters, some naturally born, and some mutated beyond recognition thanks to Dr. Bartek's research. Of course Bill would hole himself up in there, it's where the Axolotl cannot reach him.'"_

Again. The Axolotl was mentioned.

But Ford didn't have time right now. He only had one shot on his Quantum Destabilizer, and he needed to use it wisely. In the back cover of the journal there was a map, a map of certain natural portals that connected to the Nightmare Dimension. He follows the map precisely, him going through dimensions that were now looking familiar to him. Once he finally made it to the portal that would lead him to Bill, he hesitated for a moment.

What if he couldn't kill him? What if he gets killed before he could do anything?

Ford shakes his head. No, he couldn't think like that, not now, not when he was so close. Ford takes a shaky breath and enters through the shimmer that lead to a world of nightmares.

All around him was nothing but a cold, inky blackness. The air felt so much different here, like it was electrified, making the hair on his face stand up on end. It was like once, a lifetime ago, the air had been filled with extreme power.

 _"_ _Well, well, well!"_ a shrill voice echoes around him, just like in his nightmares. _"Look who decided to come to_ me _! It does save me the trouble of finding you, Fordsey."_

"Shut the hell up, you demonic bastard!" Ford screams. His hand was hovered to his side, ready to grab his interdimensional gun to fight if he had to. "You know why I'm here."

 _"_ _Ha!"_ Bill laughs, a shrill cackle. _"Really, IQ? I thought we already went over this! You can't kill me!"_

"Oh yes I can…" Ford stated smugly, a malicious grin on his face. "I can rip your molecules apart and spread you across the multiverse, a fate worse than death." He then grabs his gun, it now comfortably in his hand. "Want to test my theory?"

Bill then appears in front of him, him in a much larger size. The energy of the air must be enough to stabilize his mindscape form without it deteriorating. He didn't need a vessel, and he didn't need a physical form.

 _"_ _Really, Sixer?"_ Bill asked mockingly, his eye rolling. _"You've got to be kidding me-"_ He was cut off when Ford shot his interdimensional gun at him, hitting his eye. _"AH! MY EYE!"_ he screamed. A red fire then glowed around Bill, illuminating the demons behind him. _"You shouldn't have done that, Sixer… I'll enjoy ripping you apart!"_ He then snaps his fingers and the horde of monsters start running forward.

Ford couldn't possibly fight them all, he had to get to Cipher. Kill the boss and the minions would have no idea what to do. Ford dodges an attack, a pink fire blast from the one demon that had chased him and Layla before when she got poisoned. He could see Bill sitting on some kind of throne, his eye regenerating.

 _While he's distracted… I can get him!_

Ford began running towards Bill's throne, but underneath him the floor raised and twisted. He was no longer right-side up, but inside running upside down. The path before him twisted and dipped, making it hard to navigate.

 _That bastard!_

 _"_ _How does it feel, Ford? To be alone with no one around you!?"_ Bill mocked. _"Even your little girlfriend is dead, ha! She was a little wh-"_

"SHUT UP!" Ford bellowed he fired his gun aimless towards him, the plasma not even making it close to him.

He was then tackled behind, but some odd creature that looked human but had extra limbs growing out from all over its body. An experiment by Dr. Bartek. Ford used his gun and put it right to the monstrosity's temple.

Dr. Bartek… he put his daughter here and now she is dead…

"I'll take you out of this misery…" Ford told the once human as he pulled the trigger, his voice laced with fury. Blood splattered onto the ground as Ford forced himself up from the ground, continuing to run to Bill. No matter how much he was tackled and attacked, he got right back up and ran. He had to get to Bill… he just had to.

Finally he had reached the end of the twisted path, it leading right up to Bill Cipher. Bill's eye was regenerated and it was a solid black with a red pupil. His triangular body glowed red and his limbs turned yellow.

 _"_ _YOU THINK YOU CAN STOP ME, STANFORD PINES!? I JUST NEED TEN MORE MINUTES AND I CAN ESCAPE THIS DAMN, FLAT DIMENSION!"_

"Ten minutes…!?" Ford gasped in shock. "What the hell do you mean!?" Then it hit him. "No…"

 _"_ _That's right IQ! You really think your twin brother would just accept that you got thrown into another dimension!?"_ Bill shouted twistedly. _"For thirty years he has been trying to open it, and now he has succeeded. Just nine more minutes, Sixer, and hell will reign on Earth."_

Bill then snaps his fingers and fire starts to chase after Ford, he had no choice but to run. He couldn't fight Bill… he had to get to the portal when it opens so Bill couldn't…

 _THAT IDIOT! WHY WOULD HE DO THIS?! WHY WOULD HE IGNORE THE WARNINGS!?_

As he heard Bill's cackle, Ford spun around and removed his Quantum Destabilizer from his back. He had one shot… if he got Bill right now it can all be over…

Bill was facing the opposite way, snapping his fingers left and right to have fire engulf the dead landscape of what used to be his home. His cackle filled the black void of the dimension. Ford aims the crosshair over Bill, it matching perfectly.

But before he could pull the trigger, an intense blue light illuminated behind him. He could hear shouts on the other side. It was starting to open. The time was running out. Ford had no choice, he had to go through, stop Bill from coming from the other side, back on Earth.

Ford quickly puts the Quantum Destabilizer across his back. He was going back the way he can in…

 _"_ _WHAT?!"_ Bill screamed. _"STOP HIM, YOU IDIOTS!"_ His army of monsters and demons began rushing at Ford, some getting dangerously close.

But it was too late, Ford was stepping though, his body tingling as the intense blue energy licked across his skin. Ford was so angry, he had an opportunity to destroy Bill and it was lost.

All because Stanley had to ignore his warnings and open the damn portal again.

 _"_ _One,"_ he heard the computer say.

He then steps full on through, coming back home the way he left it…

By going beyond the portal.

* * *

 **Author's Final Notes**

I know this journey has abruptly ended, but that's how it was intended. We get what Ford's reaction was in "A Tale of Two Stans" and I couldn't possibly re-write that whole thing. In the final chapter we see how Stan was feeling about opening the portal, and we see how Ford was so close to defeating Bill but had to go through the portal before they could.

"Beyond the Portal" is a lead-up to the rest of the show and from those who had been reading "Cipher's Reign" and "After Cipher's Reign: Short Stories" they all take place in the same AU timeline.

Now, some people have been asking questions about the Bartek family, and who they are based on. Let's shed some light on that.

 _Dr. Bartholomew Bartek:_ The way this man came to be and the way he thinks is based off the character Dr. Lawrence Myrick from the movie "Extreme Measures" where he had killed homeless people with experiments trying to find a cure for paralysis. Except, Dr. Bartek is a lot more… mentally unstable because of his deals with demons and thus made him more insane. At some point he was trying to help people that were missing their limbs, to do the right thing in the wrong way, but his influence with the demons have clouded his mind and he got more gruesome with his experiments.

 _Layla Amelia Bartek:_ Some people asked where her name came from, if I got it from the song. Actually her name was based off the light-novel series "The Devil is a Part-Timer!" which eventually had been adapted to an anime and manga. The main female lead is named Emilia (pronounced just like Amelia), and she was a long-haired beauty that started out harsh but eventually softened. Layla's first name is based on Emilia's mother, the archangel Lailah. This is why Ford says that Layla looked like an angel to him. Her black hair color is based off of her own name as "Lailah" means "night" in Hebrew. Layla's personality is based off another original character I had made for the "Resident Evil" universe, named Leah S. Kennedy.

Thank you for reading as always! And make sure if you have been reading "After Cipher's Reign: Short Stories" to be on the lookout for a twist that will lead up to a different story!

~Skye Hendersen~


End file.
